Haradinaj trial: Witness changes statement

The trial of Ramush Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj continued at the Hague Thursday. A former member of the Kosovo Democratic League denied the key allegations he made in his statement to the Hague investigators last June. Haradinaj trial: Witness changes statement The prosecutor believes the reason lies in the part of the statement where the witness says he is afraid that "if Ramush finds out what I’ve told the investigators, I’ll be considered a traitor". Do the Albanians from Albania speak the Albanian as spoken in Kosovo? The process where the three former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders stand accused of war crimes committed against Kosovo Serbs and Albanians resumed with the evidence of Fadil Fazliu, whose identity had been protected until his arrival in The Hague. Immediately before he took the stand, he asked for the protective measures to be lifted, but most of the hearing Thursday and the day before was nevertheless held in closed session. The brief parts held in open session indicated that the witness lived in the village of Grabanica near Klina in 1998, where he was the local president of the Democratic League of Kosovo, the party headed by the Kosovo Albanians’ leader Ibrahim Rugova. When the Serbian police launched attacks on Grabanica in May 1998, the witness took part in the defense of the village. He says that there were KLA members among those who defended the village. They were commanded by Sadri Berisha, who had been appointed to that post by the KLA staff in Jablanica; the residents of Grabanica had approved his appointment. The Jablanica staff had previously procured weapons from Albania, the witness says. According to the prosecution, Lahi Brahimaj was the commander of the Jablanica staff. Parts of the re-examination were also held in open session. Judging by the prosecutor’s questions, the witness recanted the key allegations made in the statement he had given to the OTP investigators in June 2007. In the statement, he mentioned Ramush Haradinaj. The statement reveals why the witness did so, the prosecutor claims. In it, Fazliu said he was afraid "Ramush and his people will start treating me as a traitor if they learn what I’ve told the investigators". Today, he denied he had said so, saying there may have been errors in translation, since the interpreters were "Albanians from Albania who did not understand a number of phrases in the Kosovo dialect he speaks". The trial of the three former KLA commanders will continue on Monday.

Haradinaj trial: Witness changes statement

The prosecutor believes the reason lies in the part of the statement where the witness says he is afraid that "if Ramush finds out what I’ve told the investigators, I’ll be considered a traitor". Do the Albanians from Albania speak the Albanian as spoken in Kosovo?

The process where the three former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders stand accused of war crimes committed against Kosovo Serbs and Albanians resumed with the evidence of Fadil Fazliu, whose identity had been protected until his arrival in The Hague.

Immediately before he took the stand, he asked for the protective measures to be lifted, but most of the hearing Thursday and the day before was nevertheless held in closed session.

The brief parts held in open session indicated that the witness lived in the village of Grabanica near Klina in 1998, where he was the local president of the Democratic League of Kosovo, the party headed by the Kosovo Albanians’ leader Ibrahim Rugova.

When the Serbian police launched attacks on Grabanica in May 1998, the witness took part in the defense of the village.

He says that there were KLA members among those who defended the village. They were commanded by Sadri Berisha, who had been appointed to that post by the KLA staff in Jablanica; the residents of Grabanica had approved his appointment.

The Jablanica staff had previously procured weapons from Albania, the witness says. According to the prosecution, Lahi Brahimaj was the commander of the Jablanica staff.

Parts of the re-examination were also held in open session. Judging by the prosecutor’s questions, the witness recanted the key allegations made in the statement he had given to the OTP investigators in June 2007.

In the statement, he mentioned Ramush Haradinaj. The statement reveals why the witness did so, the prosecutor claims. In it, Fazliu said he was afraid "Ramush and his people will start treating me as a traitor if they learn what I’ve told the investigators".

Today, he denied he had said so, saying there may have been errors in translation, since the interpreters were "Albanians from Albania who did not understand a number of phrases in the Kosovo dialect he speaks".

The trial of the three former KLA commanders will continue on Monday.