Kosovo security bodies do not possess any list of the suspected individuals for crimes committed in Kosovo during the war period, 1998-1999.
Indeksonline reports that such list of soldiers or armed individuals identified that they participated in commitment of serious crimes such as massacres, slaughter of civilian population, rape of women, are only possessed by the European Mission of the Rule of Law, EULEX which has their prosecution for “target.”
Kosovo police deputy director general, Naim Rexha, has confirmed that EULEX is the only institution which possesses the names of the individuals who committed crimes during the war period. According to him, Kosovo police does not possess a single list. However, he said, there are some Kosovo police officials who co-act in the EULEX police Unit for war crimes.
“We are ready and we have requested several times to take over the responsibility even prior to the most recent extension of the mandate of EULEX, however this did not happen. We are aware of a database within this Unit, however they administer whatever is there. Our police officers have started to deal with certain cases as given by the Unit,” he said during his reporting to the Kosovo Assembly Committee for Security.
To lawyer Tomë Gashi, considers lack of possession of the lists by Kosovo authorities to be scandalous. He said that EULEX cannot behave as a “master” of the Republic of Kosovo. He considers that Kosovo police should also possess the lists. “This is not normal if it is true that EULEX is here to help and it does not exercise any state authority. It is a mission of the European Union to help us but not to play the role of the “owner of the house” in our own house,” he said.
Gashi further stressed that all Serbs who committed crimes in Kosovo should be allowed to enter Kosovo. “Especially those identified as committers of monstrous crimes towards the Albanian population during the war in Kosovo, in order for Kosovo’s state authorities to arrest them,” Gashi said. He added that the list of those who cannot enter Kosovo could exist, but that list should only be compiled by Kosovo’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
