Hague prosecution seeks 20 years in prison for ex-KLA

The Hague Tribunal prosecution on Monday requested 20 years in prison over war crimes charges for Ramush Haradinaj. His defense at the same time suggested that he was "an honorable man" who would not have stood by while crimes took place, argued his innocence, and requested his acquittal. Hague prosecution seeks 20 years in prison for ex-KLA Haradinaj is a former leader of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and a former prime minister of the government in Pristina. The ethnic Albanian is charged with war crimes committed against kidnapped Serbs, Romas, and other ethnic Albanians, held illegally at KLA's prison camp in the village of Jablanica, Decani municipality. The crimes in question were committed in 1998, the year that preceded the war over Kosovo in 1999. At the start of closing arguments in the re-trial against Haradinaj and two other former KLA members, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj, Prosecutor Paul Rogers said that Haradinaj had been a senior commander of the KLA and it was therefore not possible for him not to be aware of what had been happening in the camp. Rogers said all the three had been responsible for killing, beating and torturing the prisoners - civilians, allegedly "Serbia's allies" - of the Jablanica camp in the spring and summer of 1998. He added that there was no doubt that the remote and infamous KLA camp in Jablanica had really existed and that ethnic Albanians, Serbs and Roma had been tortured, beaten and killed there in the spring and summer of 1998, until the Serbian forces had taken control of the camp in August of that year. The prosecution and defense are delivering their closing arguments in the trial against Haradinaj, Balaj and Brahimaj on Monday and Tuesday. Haradinaj returned to The Hague on Saturday, following the expiry of his provisional release, granted to him on May 10. The Hague Trial Chamber should issue a final judgment within two months after the closing arguments are made. The first-instance judgment in the case was pronounced on April 3, 2008, finding Haradinaj and Balaj not guilty on all counts of the indictment, while Brahimaj was sentenced to six years in prison. The prosecution appealed the verdict on May 1, 2008, and the Appeals Chamber ordered that Haradinaj, Baljaj, and Brahimaj be retried on six of the total of 37 counts. The prosecution explained that during the process, there had been considerable difficulty in obtaining the testimony of witnesses, since many of them, as stated in the judgment, cited fear as a reason for failure to appear in court. This is the first re-trial in the history of the Hague Tribunal. Ramush Haradinaj (FoNet, file) Beta Tanjug

Hague prosecution seeks 20 years in prison for ex-KLA

Haradinaj is a former leader of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and a former prime minister of the government in Priština.

The ethnic Albanian is charged with war crimes committed against kidnapped Serbs, Romas, and other ethnic Albanians, held illegally at KLA's prison camp in the village of Jablanica, Dečani municipality.

The crimes in question were committed in 1998, the year that preceded the war over Kosovo in 1999.

At the start of closing arguments in the re-trial against Haradinaj and two other former KLA members, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj, Prosecutor Paul Rogers said that Haradinaj had been a senior commander of the KLA and it was therefore not possible for him not to be aware of what had been happening in the camp.

Rogers said all the three had been responsible for killing, beating and torturing the prisoners - civilians, allegedly "Serbia's allies" - of the Jablanica camp in the spring and summer of 1998.

He added that there was no doubt that the remote and infamous KLA camp in Jablanica had really existed and that ethnic Albanians, Serbs and Roma had been tortured, beaten and killed there in the spring and summer of 1998, until the Serbian forces had taken control of the camp in August of that year.

The prosecution and defense are delivering their closing arguments in the trial against Haradinaj, Balaj and Brahimaj on Monday and Tuesday. Haradinaj returned to The Hague on Saturday, following the expiry of his provisional release, granted to him on May 10.

The Hague Trial Chamber should issue a final judgment within two months after the closing arguments are made.

The first-instance judgment in the case was pronounced on April 3, 2008, finding Haradinaj and Balaj not guilty on all counts of the indictment, while Brahimaj was sentenced to six years in prison.

The prosecution appealed the verdict on May 1, 2008, and the Appeals Chamber ordered that Haradinaj, Baljaj, and Brahimaj be retried on six of the total of 37 counts.

The prosecution explained that during the process, there had been considerable difficulty in obtaining the testimony of witnesses, since many of them, as stated in the judgment, cited fear as a reason for failure to appear in court.

This is the first re-trial in the history of the Hague Tribunal.