The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office has alleged that the KLA General Staff punished collaborators and opponents.
During the closing statement, Specialist Prosecutor Clare Lawson alleged that in 1998 a military court was established, which, according to her, also issued death sentences.
The closing statement of the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office is continuing at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
“At the end of 1998, the legal sector and the Military Court were established, which was motivated primarily by the KLA leadership’s need to legitimize itself before the international community. The court lacked the necessary resources and was ineffective, a point on which there appears to be agreement between the parties. However, the courts were marginalized and undermined. Members of the General Staff, including Selimi and Limaj, directly intervened by releasing or hiding detainees, or otherwise completely bypassing the work of the court. Those judicial processes that did take place were abbreviated and arbitrary; the court issued death sentences,” the prosecutor said.
Furthermore, the specialist prosecutor alleged that Blerim Kuçi was arrested at the General Staff headquarters, in the presence of Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi, and Fatmir Limaj.
“After a purported trial in a process that involved the defense of claims that the KLA and the government must be united, Kuçi received a death sentence from the court. As reflected in documents from that time, the same fate was planned for other opponents as well. These were opponents who were intended to be brought before the pseudo-court on charges of treason,” she added.
During the closing statement, she further said that “detainees were brutally beaten, while 11 detainees were killed.”
“After a purported trial in a process that involved the defense of claims that the KLA and the government must be united, Kuçi received a death sentence from the court. As reflected in documents from that time, the same fate was planned for other opponents as well. These were opponents who were intended to be brought before the pseudo-court on charges of treason,” she added.
During the closing statement, she further said that “detainees were brutally beaten, while 11 detainees were killed.”
“The evidence shows that throughout this period, the targeting of opponents continued even after Kumanovo; the military police continued to cooperate, detain, and question civilians on allegations of collaboration,” the prosecutor continued.
Earlier, Specialist Prosecutor Alan Tieger alleged that the KLA General Staff punished collaborators and opponents. As the prosecution further claimed, detentions and torture took place at the headquarters of the Llap zone in Bajgorë.
“The General Staff punished collaborators and opponents and sought the harshest measures against them. Remi further explained that even after receiving an order from the General Staff to detain collaborators, this was the result of special needs and the summer offensive,” he stated.
Specialist Prosecutor James Pace presented a map which, according to him, shows locations where people were allegedly “imprisoned, arbitrarily arrested, and held in detention.” Before the trial panel, he said these reflect 437 incidents of detention.
The parties’ closing statements represent the final phase of the largest judicial process at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office has requested eight hours for its submissions. Present in the courtroom are Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi.
