Kosovo minister accused of intimidating war crimes witness
The UN war crimes tribunal launched an investigation against a Kosovo minister on suspicion of intimidating a witness in the process against former ethnic Albanian guerilla chief and province’s ex-premier Ramush Haradinaj.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Kosovo's Minister for Sports and Culture, Astrit Haracia will appear before The Hague's judges on Jan. 10, following a series of "informative questionings" and rather harsh accusations by the UN prosecutors.
Haracija, a member of Haradinaj's Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), confirmed that the Hague accused him of "contacting a protected witness in apparent attempt to discourage him from testifying" against former rebel leader.
If found guilty, Haracia could face up to seven years imprisonment and fine of up to 150,000 dollars.
Haradinaj was charged with 37 counts of atrocities committed against Serbs and other non-Albanians during the 1998-99 conflict, and faces possible life sentence if the Hague judges found him guilty of alleged war crimes.
The process against Haradinaj was marred with irregularities including numerous cases of intimidation and threats aimed at witnesses. At least one witness was killed, two refused to appear before the court, and two others testified only after they were arrested and flown to The Hague.
Earlier this month, outgoing UN war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte harshly criticized the UN mission in Kosovo, saying that she has been stupefied by the relations of several consecutive UN Mission administrators with Haradinaj.
"I have nothing against personal friendship between friends, except when it has a chilling effect on my witnesses," Del Ponte said.
Del Ponte repeatedly warned of fishy relations between top-ranking international officials in Kosovo and the former commander of Kosovo Liberation Army's western front and ex-premier Haradinaj, who has often been described as a "guarantee of the stability" in the troubled province.
"They have been saying that security depends on Haradinaj, who has been indicted for war crimes. That we know because we investigated his case and brought up the indictment," she said.
The tide of unusually warm relations between UNMIK chief and Haradinaj started during the rule of the second administrator, current French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and continued throughout the Sorren Jessen-Petersen era. In the most recent development, controversial deputy chief of UN mission in Kosovo, former U.S. General Steven Schook praised Haradinaj's performance as province's prime minister.
Del Ponte' deputy, David Tolbert said that the intimidation of witnesses has been a widespread praxis in the former Yugoslavia, but added that the handful of cases involving Kosovo Albanians were particularly notorious in this respect.
