"Serbia can try KLA's Limaj"

The Serbian judiciary is quite capable of trying former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Fatmir Limaj, says Prosecution spokesman Bruno Vekaric. Speaking to Radio Free Europe (RFE) on Tuesday, Vekaric said that the Hague had agreed that the proceedings against Limaj could be launched in Belgrade, but, according to the Serbian prosecution, it was still too early talk about the possibility of an indictment being raised. "Serbia can try KLA's Limaj" Vekaric said that representatives of the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution had met with the president of the Hague Tribunal Trial Chamber, who had tried Ljimaj and the others, and who had given the green light for the proceedings against Limaj to be initiated. “This is very important, since we are not breaking the rule that an individual cannot be tried twice for the same crime. The Trial Chamber has found that what we have, has nothing to do with the file they have in The Hague,” the spokesman explained. The KLA kidnapped 10 workers from the Belacevac coal mine on two occasions in May 1998, and during the investigation, the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution obtained evidence of the kidnapping and murder of at least 30 Serb civilians in the region of Drenica, central Kosovo, as well as the abduction and murder of a number of police officers and at least 11 Albanian civilians. “I think that it is very important to first establish that the camps mentioned in our investigation effectively constitute, in our view, the essence of his crime that he committed at a time when he was responsible for that. We have copious material that suggests that Limaj was responsible for the crimes he is accused of,” said Vekaric. According to RFE, the investigation thus far has, together with Limaj, implicated Sahit Jashari, Sami Lushtaku and Sulejman Selimi, currently a general in the Kosovo Security Forces. The Serbian prosecution states that the exclusive purpose of the case against Limaj, the serving provincial minister for traffic and communications, is to satisfy justice. “I think that regional cooperation between national institutions in Kosovo and our judicial organs has been well carried out. That’s a response to all questions and our initiative, when we try to address all open issues through dialogue, because we want to establish cooperation and sanction criminals, not get involved in politics,” said Vekaric. Hague Tribunal spokeswoman Olga Kavran told RFE that domestic judiciaries could try in cases that were not the subject of Hague Tribunal proceedings. “Provided it’s not linked to the same matter, that person can be tried if there is proof. At no time were domestic judiciaries prevented from pursuing cases, but simply were not allowed to launch cases that were already under way at the Hague,” she explained. Bruno Vekaric (FoNet, archive)

"Serbia can try KLA's Limaj"

Vekarić said that representatives of the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution had met with the president of the Hague Tribunal Trial Chamber, who had tried Ljimaj and the others, and who had given the green light for the proceedings against Limaj to be initiated.

“This is very important, since we are not breaking the rule that an individual cannot be tried twice for the same crime. The Trial Chamber has found that what we have, has nothing to do with the file they have in The Hague,” the spokesman explained.

The KLA kidnapped 10 workers from the Belačevac coal mine on two occasions in May 1998, and during the investigation, the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution obtained evidence of the kidnapping and murder of at least 30 Serb civilians in the region of Drenica, central Kosovo, as well as the abduction and murder of a number of police officers and at least 11 Albanian civilians.

“I think that it is very important to first establish that the camps mentioned in our investigation effectively constitute, in our view, the essence of his crime that he committed at a time when he was responsible for that. We have copious material that suggests that Limaj was responsible for the crimes he is accused of,” said Vekarić.

According to RFE, the investigation thus far has, together with Limaj, implicated Sahit Jashari, Sami Lushtaku and Sulejman Selimi, currently a general in the Kosovo Security Forces.

The Serbian prosecution states that the exclusive purpose of the case against Limaj, the serving provincial minister for traffic and communications, is to satisfy justice.

“I think that regional cooperation between national institutions in Kosovo and our judicial organs has been well carried out. That’s a response to all questions and our initiative, when we try to address all open issues through dialogue, because we want to establish cooperation and sanction criminals, not get involved in politics,” said Vekarić.

Hague Tribunal spokeswoman Olga Kavran told RFE that domestic judiciaries could try in cases that were not the subject of Hague Tribunal proceedings.

“Provided it’s not linked to the same matter, that person can be tried if there is proof. At no time were domestic judiciaries prevented from pursuing cases, but simply were not allowed to launch cases that were already under way at the Hague,” she explained.