Hague: Trigger happy Haradinaj

Former KLA quartermaster claims he twice saw Ramush Haradinaj shoot soldiers at point-blank range, unhappy with their loyalty. The witness could not tell the Hague Tribunal judges whether the wounded soldiers lived or not. Hague: Trigger happy Haradinaj After days in closed session, some of the hearing Thursday was finally held in open session at the trial of Ramush Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj. The witness did testify under a pseudonym, Witness 55, and with voice and image distortion, because of safety concerns he brought up repeatedly in his testimony. In early 1998, the witness joined the KLA as an adolescent. He joined in Albania, and then moved to Junik in Kosovo, where he assisted the local doctor. He went to the villages in the area when the KLA radioed that help was needed. In early 1998, the first accused Ramush Haradinaj was a local KLA commander in Glodjane, the witness says. The first time he saw Haradinaj was in the village of Jasic, but he could not remember the exact date. The only thing he could remember was that the day was hot. A unit of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kosovo (FARK) was stationed in the village at the time. The FARK was loyal to Ibrahim Rugova and the government in exile. The witness described how he was treating a wounded FARK soldier, when Haradinaj came in a Jeep with his men. After a brief quarrel with Tahir Zemaj, commander of the rival FARK, he cursed his mother and fired a shot into the head of one of Zemaj’s soldiers. Panic ensued. Zemaj and his men bundled the soldier – wounded or killed – into a Jeep and Haradinaj and his escort left. The witness saw Haradinaj the second time a while later in the hills near the village of Djocaj. He was there to assist a woman giving birth in a refugee column. He saw a column of armed Albanians on horseback nearby. The witness said he could not tell whether they were the KLA or FARK. He was certain, though, that a Jeep passed him by, and that Ramush Haradinaj, his brother Daut and a few other men were in the car. They headed towards the group of soldiers on horseback. As they came close, he heard Ramush Haradinaj shout, "I’m the commander around here". He then fired several shots at point-blank range at the soldiers he was yelling at. Two or three fell to the ground, the witness says. In late spring and early summer of 1998, it was rumored, the witness also said, that the KLA troops had taken "many bodies" to the Radonjic Lake canal and dumped them there. He himself saw "things that looked like bodies" being loaded on trucks near Dubovik by KLA soldiers. A relative told him later that the truck went towards the Radonjic Lake.

Hague: Trigger happy Haradinaj

After days in closed session, some of the hearing Thursday was finally held in open session at the trial of Ramush Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj.

The witness did testify under a pseudonym, Witness 55, and with voice and image distortion, because of safety concerns he brought up repeatedly in his testimony.

In early 1998, the witness joined the KLA as an adolescent. He joined in Albania, and then moved to Junik in Kosovo, where he assisted the local doctor. He went to the villages in the area when the KLA radioed that help was needed.

In early 1998, the first accused Ramush Haradinaj was a local KLA commander in Glođane, the witness says. The first time he saw Haradinaj was in the village of Jasić, but he could not remember the exact date.

The only thing he could remember was that the day was hot. A unit of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kosovo (FARK) was stationed in the village at the time. The FARK was loyal to Ibrahim Rugova and the government in exile.

The witness described how he was treating a wounded FARK soldier, when Haradinaj came in a Jeep with his men. After a brief quarrel with Tahir Zemaj, commander of the rival FARK, he cursed his mother and fired a shot into the head of one of Zemaj’s soldiers.

Panic ensued. Zemaj and his men bundled the soldier – wounded or killed – into a Jeep and Haradinaj and his escort left.

The witness saw Haradinaj the second time a while later in the hills near the village of Đočaj. He was there to assist a woman giving birth in a refugee column. He saw a column of armed Albanians on horseback nearby.

The witness said he could not tell whether they were the KLA or FARK. He was certain, though, that a Jeep passed him by, and that Ramush Haradinaj, his brother Daut and a few other men were in the car.

They headed towards the group of soldiers on horseback. As they came close, he heard Ramush Haradinaj shout, "I’m the commander around here".

He then fired several shots at point-blank range at the soldiers he was yelling at. Two or three fell to the ground, the witness says.

In late spring and early summer of 1998, it was rumored, the witness also said, that the KLA troops had taken "many bodies" to the Radonjić Lake canal and dumped them there.

He himself saw "things that looked like bodies" being loaded on trucks near Dubovik by KLA soldiers. A relative told him later that the truck went towards the Radonjić Lake.