“I am obligated to protect witnesses and to keep confidential and secure all information that should be protected to ensure that witnesses who give evidence are not intimidated or harmed or threatened,” US lawyer David Schwendiman told his first press conference last month as the chief prosecutor at the Specialist Chambers.
This new court, based in The Hague, aims to prosecute crimes committed by Kosovo Liberation Army members from 1998 until 2000, and witness protection will be one of its key challenges, as Schwendiman acknowledged.
“I will not discuss nor disclose information about our witnesses. Neither will I discuss our means and methods for protecting those who are vulnerable because of their role in our investigations or any prosecution,” he insisted after being asked how the new court will ensure that witnesses are not intimidated.
