The trial of former KLA leaders Hashim Thaçi and others in The Hague will last at least three to four years, says Nevenka Tromp, researcher at the Hague Tribunal for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.
In seven and a half years, she adds, only six people have been sued and only one case has been finalized. She says that during the last year it became clear that the Specialized Chambers are not working on new indictments and that the end of Pjetër Shala’s trial is expected this year.
In an interview for KosovaPress, Nevenka Tromp also comments on the decision of the Appeal in the case of Salih Mustafa, for which she considers that the court has introduced a heavy punishment practice.
The Specialist Chambers in The Hague officially began work in May 2015. In seven and a half years, Tromp says only one verdict has been handed down.
Nevenka Tromp, who wrote the book “The Unfinished Trial of Milosevic”, adds that the Specialist Chambers are not working on new indictments.
The woman, who worked for many years at the Hague Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, while talking about the justice of this institution, says that she is making interesting legal history.
Tromp considers that the punishment for Salih Mustafa is a serious practice that the court has introduced.
In addition, Tromp says that in the case of Mustafa it is considered “harsh justice” and that the maximum sentence for war crimes is 15 years.
The lecturer at the University of Amsterdam also talks about the duration of the trial, for which she considers that based on the time for which the investigations are being carried out, the trials should be completed in a faster time.
Tromp expects the case of Pjetër Shala to end this year.
On August 3, 2015, the Assembly of Kosovo approved the Law on the Special Court, with headquarters in The Hague. Prosecutors from foreign courts serve in this institution, which operates under the laws of Kosovo. This court investigates alleged war crimes in Kosovo, for a period of time from January 1998 to December 2000.
In the Special Court so far there are six people accused of alleged war crimes, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi, Pjetër Shala and Salih Mustafa. For the latter, the Appeal imposed a sentence of 22 years./Sh. Pajaziti
