Global Courant 2023-05-18 21:12:53
In the Special Court in The Hague, it ended against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
The fifth witness of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office appeared in court for the second day in a row.
He testified under protective measures and mainly in a private session or with edited content, excluding some parts when the session was open to the public.
The witness who has the code 3165 stated that he joined the KLA in July 1998.
He claims that some people took his family members, which the witness said during the open session.
The SPS has finished his interview while he has started to answer the questions of the defense of the accused.
On Wednesday, the Trial Panel ordered the parties to submit their submissions no later than May 31 to indicate concrete steps that can be taken to ensure a higher degree of publicity for this judicial process.
“Sessions at the DHSK are public, except when the Trial Panel decides to hold a closed session or switch to a private session in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. According to the case, the Trial Panel decides to hold parts of the judicial process in private or closed sessions and the main reason is to protect the safety and identity of witnesses and victims”, said the spokesman of the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo, Michael Doyle.
He said that the parties can request that the session be private, but the judge’s decision to approve or reject the request is taken after careful consideration.
“In the Order on the Development of the Trial, the Trial Panel in the case of Thaçi and others made it clear that ‘legal arguments and the presentation of evidence by the parties and participants will take place in closed or private sessions only when absolutely necessary’ he said.
In this judicial process, the interviewing of the fifth witness of the ZPS began on Wednesday, while four others testified before him, all under protective measures and in sessions closed to the public.
The trial against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selim will continue from Monday to Wednesday next week.
The former leaders of the KLA, whom the prosecution claims have committed war crimes, are being tried after a preliminary procedure that has lasted more than two years.
During this time, ex-president Thaçi, ex-parliamentarians Krasniqi and Veseli, as well as ex-MP Selimi, are in custody in The Hague, while they have pleaded not guilty before the court.
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