War crimes trial continues for ex-KLA

The war crimes trial of a group of former KLA members, including DPK party deputy leader Fatmir Limaj, continued on Thursday in Pristina. Limaj is a former leader of the ethnic Albanian KLA who also held the office of minister in the Kosovo Albanian government in Pristina. War crimes trial continues for ex-KLA As he was entering the court building today, several dozen students gathered in front to support the war crimes indictees, demanding the case to be dismissed. Among the banners that the students held was this: "I have a hero, my hero is Fatmir Limaj". Meanwhile the group's defenders announced that they would file for international prosecutor Maurizio Salustra to be excluded from the proceedings, which the court chamber rejected, advising the lawyers to turn to Kosovo's special prosecution with this demand. Limaj and other former KLA members stand accused of committing war crimes against Serb and ethnic Albanian civilians illegally detained in the KLA camp in Klecka, in the Malisevo municipality. Limaj was also accused by the Hague Tribunal for war crimes committed in another KLA camp - that of Lopusnik, in the Glogovac municipality - but was set free. "Witness committed suicide" Agim Zogaj, a protected witness at the trial against Fatmir Limaj and nine other ethnic Albanian members of the former KLA accused of war crimes in the village of Klecka in Kosovo, has committed suicide. This was announced by the EU mission in Kosovo, EULEX. "Agim Zogaj, Witness X, tragically took his own life. It is something no witness protection program in the world could prevent," said EULEX chief Xavier de Marnhac. Marnhac also condemned "those who want to turn his death into a political issue or who try to attribute blame to someone else in order to win points", the EULEX press office said in a release. He said that since the death of Zogaj, who was found hanged on September 28 in a park in Germany, "a lot of attention has been paid to witness protection in Kosovo", and added that the situation in the province "is not satisfactory in this respect". "EULEX will continue to use all its resources, and the skills and experiences of its personnel in this highly specialized field, to give Kosovo time before it can take over these responsibilities, which are so decisive and significant for any developing society," Marnhac said.

War crimes trial continues for ex-KLA

As he was entering the court building today, several dozen students gathered in front to support the war crimes indictees, demanding the case to be dismissed.

Among the banners that the students held was this: "I have a hero, my hero is Fatmir Limaj".

Meanwhile the group's defenders announced that they would file for international prosecutor Maurizio Salustra to be excluded from the proceedings, which the court chamber rejected, advising the lawyers to turn to Kosovo's special prosecution with this demand.

Limaj and other former KLA members stand accused of committing war crimes against Serb and ethnic Albanian civilians illegally detained in the KLA camp in Klečka, in the Mališevo municipality.

Limaj was also accused by the Hague Tribunal for war crimes committed in another KLA camp - that of Lopušnik, in the Glogovac municipality - but was set free.

"Witness committed suicide"

Agim Zogaj, a protected witness at the trial against Fatmir Limaj and nine other ethnic Albanian members of the former KLA accused of war crimes in the village of Klečka in Kosovo, has committed suicide.

This was announced by the EU mission in Kosovo, EULEX.

"Agim Zogaj, Witness X, tragically took his own life. It is something no witness protection program in the world could prevent," said EULEX chief Xavier de Marnhac.

Marnhac also condemned "those who want to turn his death into a political issue or who try to attribute blame to someone else in order to win points", the EULEX press office said in a release.

He said that since the death of Zogaj, who was found hanged on September 28 in a park in Germany, "a lot of attention has been paid to witness protection in Kosovo", and added that the situation in the province "is not satisfactory in this respect".

"EULEX will continue to use all its resources, and the skills and experiences of its personnel in this highly specialized field, to give Kosovo time before it can take over these responsibilities, which are so decisive and significant for any developing society," Marnhac said.