The chairman of the Committee on Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) that the establishment of the list of defense attorneys and the injured for the Specialized Council in Pristina will be completed for the next two to three months and the first indictments of the Special Prosecutor’s Office should be expected afterwards.
The KLA Crimes Court in The Hague called on lawyers yesterday to apply for representation of the accused and victims in the upcoming proceedings before the court, the Serbian media reported.
A directive on defenders and representatives was adopted, which established the conditions that lawyers must fulfill for the representation of the accused or victims.
The chairman of the Committee on Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun told RTS that a final action of the Secretariat of the specialized panels starts with the directive coming into force, after which the trial will be able to start.
According to the directive, the regulations define the conditions that the lawyers should fulfill in order to be recorded on the list of lawyers of defense and the injured parties.
According to him, unlike the Hague Tribunal, where the defendants have been represented by prosecutors, this time a legal representative will be introduced who will be on the list and will have the right to full participation in the opening and closing arguments, and will be able to submit proposals for new witnesses, and participate in the examination of the witness.
The important thing is that the injured parties will be able to seek compensation through their legal representatives, says Drecun, RTS reports.
“I think that the process of forming the list of defense lawyers and the injured parties will be completed perhaps in two months or more, and then the first indictments should be expected. All depends on the readiness of the specialized prosecution to issue the first indictment,” Drecun said.
Drecun said to RTS that by his opinion the so-called big indictment will be against the Drenica Group, bearing in mind that it has been at the center of Dick Marty report.
Responding to a question about who could represent the Serbian victims, Drecun says that international experience is important – these are lawyers who know how such courts function and who will be able to represent the victims properly.
It is a very important work and, as Drecun says, it is necessary that the state of Serbia to get involved in all this, because from the actions of the victims’ representatives will largely depend the outcome of all these processes. They are active participants, they can propose new witnesses, it is important to prepare the injured parties to be able to appear before specialized councils.
“So, I think that in the coming period we will have a difficult battle to prove the truth about the horrible crimes committed by the KLA and the opportunity that those who are responsible to be prosecuted,” Drecun said.
