New witnesses to testify in Haradinaj case
In a repeated trial against Ramush Haradinaj, the former KLA commander, witnesses not called to testify in the first trial shall appear in the court room of the Hague Tribunal. As the Belgrade daily ‘Blic' learns they shall testify over crimes committed against prisoners in the KLA camp in the Village of Jablanica near Decani from March to September of 1998.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Friday, July 23, 2010
Haradinaj was arrested the day before yesterday in Kosovo by the EULEX and as per a sealed order of the Hague Tribunal. He was transferred to The Hague where the appelate chamber yesterday cancelled the initial verdict that acquitted him and ordered partial retrial.
According to Nerma Jelacic, the ICTY representative, the retrial against Haradinaj and another two individuals indicted with him ‘has been the first such case in the history of the Tribunal to be repeated' and that the next step would be appointment of new trial chamber.
Accepting complaint to the first instance verdict delivered in April of 2008, the appelate chamber of the Tribunal ordered retrial to Haradinaj and the other two suspects as per six accounts of the indictment (instead of 37 as in the first trial): crimes against prisoners in the KLA concentration camp, murders, cruel and inhuman behavior and violation of laws and customs of war.
The appelate chamber has accepted the Prosecution's argument that the first instance trial was not just since the trial chamber had failed to make sufficient effort to hear two key witnesses who refused to testify because of ‘harrasment' and ‘frightening'.
