Moscow reacts to Haradinaj judgment

The Russian Foreign Ministry says that the acquittal of Ramush Haradinaj puts the Hague’s impartiality in doubt. The acquittal of the former commander of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Ramush Haradinaj, of charges for crimes against humanity and war crimes against Serbs, brings the proclaimed objectivity of the Hague Tribunal into question, the Russian ministry stated. Moscow reacts to Haradinaj judgment “The double standards are becoming more and more apparent in the approach of the court to the sides in the conflict in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, especially in light of the shocking memoirs of former Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, which have appeared in the media recently,” the ministry stated in reaction to the Haradinaj ruling. Such averdict was made possible by the severely weakened evidence base due to the inability to link the accusations with witness statement, the statement continued, adding at the same time that "some of the evidence material, it seems, was not used in the best possible manner". Russia has on several occasions pointed to the scandalous way in which the Haradinaj trial proceeded, with unprecedented pressure and several murders of witnesses, Moscow officials said, adding that regardless, the Tribunal has allowed Haradinaj to be released for “personal” reasons on several occasions. Also in Moscow Monday, the Russian state television ran a program that said that "under the command of former Kosovo premier Ramush Haradinaj, ethnic Albanians kidnapped more than 400 Serbs, and it has recently become clear why they did that - they trafficked human organs". The program was dedicated to Del Ponte's book – “The Hunt". The Russian television said that the “iron lady” had decided to speak about those issues she had kept silent about until the proclamation of Kosovo's unilateral independence, "and tell us the truth about the Kosovo Albanian leaders". "Every normal person asks himself why is it that Del Ponte has revealed this information only now, why is it that The Hague Tribunal has not convicted the people who committed these crimes, and why does the world have to learn about these things from a book, while the main question is what the Hague Tribunal's reaction to the claims of its former prosecutor will be," Minister of Education Zoran Loncar, DSS, who took part in the debate, said. The Hague Tribunal acquitted Haradinaj on April 3 of charges of crimes against Serbs, Romas and Albanians who did not support the KLA in early 1998. The indictment included charges of murder, torture and rape. The prosecution was asking for a sentence of 25 years in prison for Haradinaj.

Moscow reacts to Haradinaj judgment

“The double standards are becoming more and more apparent in the approach of the court to the sides in the conflict in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, especially in light of the shocking memoirs of former Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, which have appeared in the media recently,” the ministry stated in reaction to the Haradinaj ruling.

Such averdict was made possible by the severely weakened evidence base due to the inability to link the accusations with witness statement, the statement continued, adding at the same time that "some of the evidence material, it seems, was not used in the best possible manner".

Russia has on several occasions pointed to the scandalous way in which the Haradinaj trial proceeded, with unprecedented pressure and several murders of witnesses, Moscow officials said, adding that regardless, the Tribunal has allowed Haradinaj to be released for “personal” reasons on several occasions.

Also in Moscow Monday, the Russian state television ran a program that said that "under the command of former Kosovo premier Ramush Haradinaj, ethnic Albanians kidnapped more than 400 Serbs, and it has recently become clear why they did that - they trafficked human organs".

The program was dedicated to Del Ponte's book – “The Hunt".

The Russian television said that the “iron lady” had decided to speak about those issues she had kept silent about until the proclamation of Kosovo's unilateral independence, "and tell us the truth about the Kosovo Albanian leaders".

"Every normal person asks himself why is it that Del Ponte has revealed this information only now, why is it that The Hague Tribunal has not convicted the people who committed these crimes, and why does the world have to learn about these things from a book, while the main question is what the Hague Tribunal's reaction to the claims of its former prosecutor will be," Minister of Education Zoran Lončar, DSS, who took part in the debate, said.

The Hague Tribunal acquitted Haradinaj on April 3 of charges of crimes against Serbs, Romas and Albanians who did not support the KLA in early 1998. The indictment included charges of murder, torture and rape. The prosecution was asking for a sentence of 25 years in prison for Haradinaj.