The postponement of the announcement of the verdict for the former KLA leaders, in the Specialist Chambers for Kosovo, in Kosovo is being assessed as unreasonable, as well as a violation of human rights. Meanwhile, the Specialist Courts have justified it with the large number of witnesses and the complexity of the case, but according to them, this is not related to the court’s vacation period.
29,238 pages is the number of transcripts of the most important trial that took place in the Specialist Chambers for Kosovo, against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
After reviewing them and hundreds of other materials in the court’s possession, it was decided that the verdict against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi will be announced on September 16 of this year.
“The Trial Panel explained that, in accordance with the Rules, it had considered that a further extension of the deadline was absolutely necessary due to the complexity of the case and the large amount of evidence that the Trial Panel had to examine. The Trial Panel took testimony and evidence from 270 witnesses (oral and written), admitted 5,467 pieces of material evidence, while the trial transcript is 29,238 pages long. The Trial Panel considered that this extension of the deadline was justified by the need to ensure a reasoned, comprehensive and fair assessment of the evidence, as well as by the obligation to provide a written reasoning that accurately reflects that evidence. The court recess had no impact on the setting of the date for the pronouncement of the Judgment. During the recess period, the Court is fully functional and work continues in all units of the DHSK.”
But, according to Artan Qerkini’s lawyer, such a postponement was unreasonable since the trial panel had enough time to decide.
“The trial panel had only this case and only this issue at hand and it is impossible for the judges to not evaluate the evidence during the trial extension, but if the postponement had occurred at a time when the defendants were defending themselves at liberty, then it would not have been a major violation. We have continuously emphasized the fact that the principle of trial within a reasonable time has been violated and this is only continuing this agony, therefore I think that the court should have issued a verdict within the previously determined deadlines,” said Qerkini.
The same is said by lawyer Skënder Musa, who says that the detention measure against the KLA four should have been reviewed once again.
“Considering the extensive material, the postponement is fair and reasonable, but now the Court, if it wants to show that it is a Court that acts according to the law, should review the detention measure even though the postponement is about 60 days when it is known that all requests for their release have been rejected,” said Musa.
During closing arguments, the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office requested 45 years in prison each for Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi, but defense lawyers argued for their release.
The former KLA leaders are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity and have been in pre-trial detention since 2020, although their trial began in April 2023. /Dukagjini/
