UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, July 23, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti criticizes EU for lifting visas for holders of Serbian passports (media)
Kurti on Hajrizi: I’ve a lot of work, don’t have to do job of a minister too (media)
Kurti’s remarks on 14th anniversary of ICJ ruling on Kosovo (media)
PAK canceled rents of gas stations in north “due to violations” (RFE)
Reactions about the Slobodna Bosna article and its coverage by RTK (media)
Maqedonci: KSF needs helicopters, especially for search and rescue (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Twenty-five years since the murder of Serbian harvesters in Staro Gracko, near Lipljan (KiM radio, RTS, media)
Stano: Decision on opening Ibar Bridge must be made within Belgrade-Pristina dialogue framework (Kosovo Online)
Pristina's reactions to decision on visa cancellation for passports issued by Coordination Directorate (KiM radio, Radio Mitrovica sever)
Dacic says Faton Hajrizi was getting ready to carry out serous criminal acts (Kosovo Online, TV Kurir)
More than 3.300 requests to switch Serbian for Kosovo drivers’ licenses (KoSSev)
Bodo Weber on lithium: Parallels with colonialism are understandable (N1, Danas)

Opinion:

Time for tough love in the Balkans (media)
Janjic: EULEX necessary in exchange of data between Belgrade and Pristina in connection with murder of police officer (Kosovo Online)

International:

Boosted Kosovo border patrols roll through rough terrain (RFE)
Ex-KLA supremo’s testimony at Thaci trial bolsters both prosecution and defence cases (BIRN)
In Kosovo’s patriarchal society, imams’ sexist diatribes go unchallenged (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti criticizes EU for lifting visas for holders of Serbian passports (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that the decision of the EU Council to lift visa requirements for Kosovo Serbs equipped with passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate, is unfair. “We consider it to be unfair, damaging and also discouraging for the integration of the Serbs. Nevertheless, the state of Kosovo, our democratic and independent republic, has strengthened its passport like never before, and we don’t have any great possibility to influence the decisions made by Brussels. We express our position, and our position cannot be different. What was said by the President, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora is the shared position of our institutions,” he told reporters.

Kurti on Hajrizi: I’ve a lot of work, don’t have to do job of a minister too (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, during a visit at the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo today, was asked to comment on the case of Faton Hajrizi who was reported to have been killed in Serbia on July 19. “Two of our ministries, the Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, are working on this case. I don’t have to do the job of a minister too, trust me I have a lot of work as Prime Minister,” Kurti was quoted as saying.

Kurti’s remarks on 14th anniversary of ICJ ruling on Kosovo (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X on Monday that “14 years ago, the International Court of Justice irrevocably affirmed the legality of Kosova's Declaration of Independence. In 123 paragraphs summarized in a 54-page decision, the Court extensively justified how the Declaration of Independence of February 17, 2008, did not violate any general or specific norm of international law and that the independence itself was irrevocable. The advisory opinion represented a major victory in the long struggle of the Albanian people since the occupation of Kosova in 1912, followed by colonization, discrimination, and culminating in the genocide of 1998 and 1999. The ICJ Advisory Opinion constitutes a rare case in which the Court unequivocally and with a deeply convincing interpretation supports the right of a people oppressed and colonized for decades by a chauvinistic, criminal, and genocidal regime to exist as an independent and lawful state under international law”.

PAK canceled rents of gas stations in north “due to violations” (RFE)

The Privatization Agency of Kosovo told the news website that the owners of the closed gas stations in the Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo violated the rent contracts as they failed to respect a clause related to getting a permit to work with oil products. This is why the agency took action to stop the contracts. The agency also said that the closed gas stations are under its ownership as heritage from former socially owned enterprises – Ina Trgovina from Zagreb and Jugopetrol from Belgrade – and that it has the exclusive right to manage them. The agency also said that it had rent contracts valid for two years with business owners from the north of Kosovo, but did not specify when they were signed.

Reactions about the Slobodna Bosna article and its coverage by RTK (media)

Dejona Mihali, coordinator of committees at Vetevendosje Movement, said in a Facebook post today that the prosecution and specialized bodies should investigate the allegations made in the Slobodna Bosna articles about “transactions from Serbia, including [Milan] Radoicic, even financial transactions with entities in Kosovo against the Government of Kosovo”. She said that it would be good for the association of journalists in Kosovo to show professionalism and suggest investigations into the case published by colleague reporters in Bosnia “if Vucic and his criminal network are really involved in Kosovo”. “If colleague reporters in Bosnia published false information, the road is clear, it is the court. Articles that talk about Vucic’s Serbia and his efforts to destabilize the region and Kosovo, we will share and react to them. ‘Slobodna Bosna’ is not a tabloid. It is not a media of regimes. Slobodna Bosna reporters are courageous reporters who for 30 years have engaged in investigative journalism. They have often risked everything because of their publications. They are considered some of the best reporters in Bosnia,” she argued. The Association of Journalists of Kosovo reacted to Mihali’s post saying that “it comes in the series of coordinated attacks by the Vetevendosje government against media and reporters in Kosovo”. “The call for investigations into an article without an author, which provides no facts or evidence about its allegations, is unacceptable and is aimed at intimidating reporters in Kosovo,” the AJK said.

Vetevendosje MP Adnan Rrustemi said in a Facebook post today that “the most legitimate question that needs to be asked is if the prosecution has initiated investigations to see if there were financial transactions by Serbia to Kosovo’s news websites that receive orders to write against the government or any citizen of our country?”. The Association of Journalists of Kosovo said in a reaction that Rrustemi’s “attack is unacceptable” and that “it is aimed at intimidating the media and reporters”. The AJK also called on Vetevendosje “to stop its smear campaign against the media”.

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) said in a statement today that the RTK has completely surrendered and that it has turned into a tool of the government’s ordinary interests. “Outside every aspect of morality and ethics, the RTK strikes against the media in Kosovo, holds a public trial and condemns them by labeling them as traitors and servants of foreign interests … The LDK will use parliamentary mechanisms to shed light on the capture [of the RTK] and to hold accountable the servants of propaganda,” the statement notes.

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Vlora Citaku writes in a Facebook post “another day – another attack by the government and its supporters against the media and reporters. Democracy and free media go hand in hand, therefore, it seems that this government is interested in neither one of them”.

Flutra Kusari, media lawyer and senior legal advisor to the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, said in a post on X today “disturbing developments in Kosovo. A Bosnian website published an untrue story about how two Kosovo media outlets are connected to notorious criminal Radojcic and Serbia, alleging that one of them received millions to criticize PM Kurti. Graph: attacks against journalists @AGK_AJK. The false story is based on "anonymous sources" and it names Nacionale and Periskopi. Shockingly, RTK - Kosovo's public broadcaster, republished the story in its prime-time news edition and online, without even contacting the owners of Nacionale and Periskopi. They did not name the media outlets, but the public knew which media were mentioned in the original false article. This is the reason why RTK's general director was forced to resign by the ruling party, so that such stories could be easily broadcasted”.

Ehat Miftaraj, head of the Kosovo Law Institute, says in a Facebook post today that “there is no resignation or apology from the RTK. I don’t expect an apology or reflection from the ruling party. RTK belongs to Kosovo, and this should not change, regardless of who is in power”.

Agon Maliqi, political commentator, said in a Facebook post that “it is a great and unforgivable shame for the RTK, which with public taxes, joins a smear campaign against media that are critical of the government, by labeling them without any facts as hostile instruments of Serbia. The board, editors, and reporters that produce such ‘news’ will hold responsibility for anything that happens to their colleagues now that they have targeted them in the main news”.

Adriatik Kelmendi, former CEO at Klan Kosova and publicist, said in a Facebook post on Monday that someone from the RTK should resign or be dismissed. “The public broadcaster, which is run with taxpayers’ money cannot be used for witch-hunting with anonymous sources. If what happened this evening passes without accountability, this will also be the beginning of the end of the public broadcaster, which despite challenges, has so far managed to maintain an optimum of fairness and professionalism,” he argued.

Maqedonci: KSF needs helicopters, especially for search and rescue (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defence, Ejup Maqedonci, said in an interview with TV Dukagjini on Monday that the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) deems it necessary to have at least one helicopter. “The structure of the KSF foresees helicopters too. We are in discussions with the U.S. Embassy, the Department of Defense. Helicopters are part of the third part of the transitioning process, one of the necessary assets, at least for supporting the civilian authorities. After the war in Ukraine, the format has changed. Helicopters don’t have the combat effect they had in the past, but it is important to have them especially for search and rescue operations and for medical evacuation,” Maqedonci was quoted as saying.

Serbian Language Media

Twenty-five years since the murder of Serbian harvesters in Staro Gracko, near Lipljan; (KiM radio, RTS, media)

Today marks twenty-five years since the murder of fourteen Serbian reapers in the village of Staro Gracko, near Lipljan, reports KiM radio.

Milovan Jovanovic (1969), Jovica Zivic (1970), Radovan Zivic (1967), Andrija Odalovic (1967), Slobodan Janicijevic (1965), Mile Janicijevic (1957), Novica Janicijevic (1981), Momcilo Janicijevic (1946), Stanimir Dekic (1955), Bozidar Dekic (1947), Sasa Cvejic (1973), Ljubica Cvejic (1939), Nikola Stojanovic (1936) and Miodrag Tepsic (1951) were killed in their fields during the harvest on July 23, 1999. The youngest among them, Novica Janicijevic, was only seventeen years old.

This crime took place immediately after the end of the conflict in Kosovo and despite the presence of international KFOR forces. The perpetrators were never found or punished. Staro Gracko, at that time, was under the control of British KFOR soldiers. After the murder the British soldiers carried out an investigation and identified potential perpetrators among Albanians. For UNMIK investigators perpetrators vanished without trace. EULEX closed the investigation upon taking it over from UNMIK citing lack of evidence, although a pistol of one of the murdered Serb harvesters was found in possession of one of the Albanian suspects during the investigation, RTS reported.

Djuric: Serbia preserves the memory of the killed reapers in the village of Staro Gracko

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Marko Djuric, wrote on social network X that "today marks the 25th anniversary of the brutal murder of 14 reapers in the village of Staro Gracko near Lipljan, whose only fault was that they were Serbs. We still mourn and remember them every day for the last quarter of a century, in the hope that this crime should be solved, and the culprits brought to justice".

Office for Kosovo and Metohija: A stain on the face of the international community

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija also reminded of this.

"The crime took place despite the presence of a large number of members of the international military and civilian mission in Kosovo and Metohija, who were only silent observers of the massacre of innocent people. This is, therefore, an indelible stain on the face, above all, of the international community, which, even after a quarter of a century, did nothing to find the criminals and bring them to justice."

The Office says that they remember the innocent victims from Staro Gracko with sadness and reverence.

"We will continue to insist on the truth about the suffering of the reapers in Staro Gracko, but also of all our compatriots who were killed in Kosovo and Metohija just because they were Serbs. In our search for the truth, it has already become abundantly clear that what the Pristina politicians and some representatives of the Albanian people in KiM describe as a just fight for freedom is, in fact, naked crime and terrorism. We should not forget that these crimes never become obsolete, and that criminals always get the hands of justice in the end", they conclude in the announcement.

Memorial service

A memorial service will be held in Staro Gracko near Lipljan today at 10 a.m. at the place where a memorial plaque has been placed for the martyred Serbs from this village.

Radio KIM reported that during the commemoration in Staro Gracko a significant number of Kosovo police officers were present and one of them in plain clothing was recording the entire gathering. Asked by the journalist what Kosovo police does in terms of the investigation into those murders, he said he is not conducting investigation but was present “to follow today’s event”.

Stano: Decision on opening Ibar Bridge must be made within Belgrade-Pristina dialogue framework (Kosovo Online)

EU Spokesperson Peter Stano said reopening of the Ibar River bridge is a matter for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, adding that any decision on its opening must be made within the framework of that dialogue.

"Talks are currently underway, and the EU is closely cooperating with its international partners in Kosovo. The EU calls on all interested parties to refrain from any uncoordinated and unilateral actions", Stano said.

Stano also said that all agreements from the dialogue, including those concerning the bridge on the Ibar, need to be fully implemented. He noted that work on revitalization of the bridge in Mitrovica, as well as its surroundings, had been technically completed.

Pristina's reactions to decision on visa cancellation for passports issued by Coordination Directorate (KiM radio, Radio Mitrovica sever)

The Kosovo Government expressed disappointment regarding the EU Council's decision to cancel visas for holders of Serbian passports from Kosovo issued by Serbian Coordination Directorate, saying that Kosovo institutions will still not recognize passports issued by Serbia, reported KiM radio, citing Telegrafi. The cabinet of Vjosa Osmani, is also disappointed.

Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, Klisman Kadiu pointed out on behalf of Kosovo Government that the passports issued by Serbia violate ''the integrity and sovereignty of Kosovo''.

"We express our disappointment with the EU's decision on liberalization of visas for holders of illegal passports issued by the Serbian authorities for Serbian citizens of Kosovo. The decision of the EU does not cancel the fact that these passports still remain illegal, completely violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country, and therefore unacceptable for Kosovo. Our authorities will still not recognize those passports", he said.

In the Osmani cabinet disappointed as well

Bekim Kupina, media adviser to Osmani, said that legitimization of passports he termed as ‘illegal’ by the EU sabotages the integration process of the Serbian community in Kosovo, especially in a period when a large number of Serbs in Kosovo have passports of Kosovo.

"Today's decision of the Council of the EU to be included in the white Schengen list, that is, to enable free movement of our citizens with illegal Serbian passports issued in Kosovo, harms our citizens, Kosovo and its multi-ethnic character, as well as the EU itself," Kupina told RTKlive.

According to his words, this decision has a negative impact on ''the extent of the rule of law throughout Kosovo and on all its citizens''. Moreover, these documents, as he claims, which contain unverified information, can be carried by persons “who can directly threaten order and security in the EU as well”.

"Kosovo does not assume any responsibility for the offenses that the holders of these illegal documents may commit in the Schengen zone. Moreover, the EU decision supports illegal structures and the presence of Serbia in Kosovo and contradicts the Constitution and laws of Kosovo, as well as the EU's own standards in the area of the rule of law", he said.

He added Kosovo was not consulted at all about this decision, although its institutions have repeatedly sent its arguments why this decision was harmful. Kupina also said the decision is legally unenforceable in Kosovo.

Citaku: Canceling visas for holders of Serbian passports is a political debacle for the government

The vice-president of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Vlora Citaku, assessed that the cancellation of visas for citizens of Kosovo who hold Serbian passports is a political and diplomatic debacle for the government of Albin Kurti.

"The passports issued by the parallel structures of Serbia have received the seal of legitimacy from the EU today. What a political and diplomatic debacle for Kurti's government," Citaku said on Facebook.

She added that the infantile and adventurous behavior of the current Kosovo Government led to that decision of the EU Council.

Dacic says Faton Hajrizi was getting ready to carry out serous criminal acts (Kosovo Online, TV Kurir)

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told Kurir TV based on the investigation into the case of one killed and another wounded Serbian police officers in Loznica, that perpetrator of this act, Faton Hajrizi, an Albanian from Kosovo, was getting ready to carry out serious criminal acts, Kosovo Online portal reported. Dacic said Serbian Interior Ministry does not cooperate with Kosovo police, but establishes that cooperation through EULEX and other police organizations having offices in Kosovo.

He also said Pristina did not issue an arrest warrant after Hajrizi fled from prison. He added there is suspicion that his brother gave him his documents intentionally and Germany has not responded yet if Faton Hajrizi was in this country but only shared the statement (his brother gave to the police).

“We have cooperation with Germany, but someone needs to deal with this. When we connect the dots, you see that he comes from the KLA milieu. You saw everybody in Kosovo saying that he was a hero. A man who killed several people, fled from prison. And now their minister of justice says that Serbia is organizing the escape of prisoners from Kosovo, which is nonsense”, Dacic said.

He added it is unclear yet how Hajrizi got to Presevo, but that he did not come there legally. He is not in the registry of legal entries, but he was seen on recordings in Presevo and Bujanovac. “{…} it is seen how he gets ready to enter the car. Police discovered that. His logistics brought him to Bujanovac and Presevo, and he was looking to see how to go further. He did not take a travel bag with him, but rather a pistol with ammunition. He was getting ready to carry out serious criminal acts. When institutions are attacked, as was police, it is a terrorist act. What was his aim, he wanted to kill more police officers, perhaps he would kill civilians too”, Dacic said.

He added that the person, police still do not know how Hajrizi got into contact with, is crucial as an organizer, noting that this person is from Slovenia and hired a couple from Serbia to find someone to provide transport to Hajrizi and they found a driver from Tutin. {…) this is not a taxi driver, he was obviously transporting migrants, and he drove him to Loznica. Our information was that they should transport him with a boat across Drina. We arrested all the people who were in this chain. Only operational data from Slovenia are missing”, Dacic said.

More than 3.300 requests to switch Serbian for Kosovo drivers’ licenses (KoSSev)

A total of 3.344 requests had been submitted thus far across Kosovo to switch Serbian drivers’ licenses for Kosovo ones, KoSSev portal reported.

Out of this number 2.911 requests were submitted in four northern municipalities, respectively 934 in Leposavic, 859 in Mitrovica North, 525 in Zubin Potok and 593 in Zvecan.

Bodo Weber on lithium: Parallels with colonialism are understandable (N1, Danas)

Bodo Weber, a political analyst and senior associate at the Democratization Policy Council (DPC) in Berlin, told an interview with the daily Danas that it wasn't just the Serbian authorities, but also the German government and the European Commission, that kept German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s recent visit to Serbia a secret until the very last moment.

Danas noted that the public learned about Scholz’s visit to Belgrade last week, when a memorandum on lithium mining was signed, just two days prior to his arrival.

His arrival was reported by the opposition and independent media, meaning that until the very last moment, the government concealed this “major” event.

Weber said Scholz’s spokesperson attempted to justify the last-minute announcement of the Chancellor’s trip to Belgrade by saying that the Serbian government only approved the memorandum with the European Union (EU) shortly before the visit. However, said Weber, this confirms that everything was prepared in haste and in utmost secrecy, directly contradicting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s assertion that everything is done transparently.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5n7j477a

Opinion

Time for tough love in the Balkans (media)

Several news websites cover an opinion piece by Daniel Serwer, professor at John Hopkins University and political commentator on the Western Balkans, originally published on peacefare.net.

Friends in the Balkans wonder what the candidacy of Kamala Harris will mean for them. There is precious little direct evidence to go on. But some things are obvious. Biden’s withdrawal was no surprise. Nor was his endorsement of Harris. But her attitude towards the Balkans is anyone’s guess. Here is mine.

Extrapolating

Harris is a strong supporter of Ukraine’s struggle against the Russian invasion. She will want to see Kyiv win and Moscow lose. She won’t settle easily for partition. That attitude will likely transfer to the Balkans. I wouldn’t want to be the one telling a female, Black, and Indian President that people of different ethnicities can’t live together.

Harris is also hawkish on China, like Biden as well as Trump. Kosovo may look like Taiwan (and Ukraine) to her. That would mean it needs to be nurtured and defended from territorial claims by a former sovereign. She is unlikely to be sympathetic to the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities or the autonomy of Republika Srpska. Someone needs to advise her early and often that both are bad ideas.

Still extrapolating

This fall’s campaign and election in the US will be in large part about preserving liberal democracy, that is democracy based on equal individual rights protected by the rule of law. Those who want support from her Administration should be aligning themselves with that objective. Partitionists and ethnic separatists should take heed.

The Biden Administration has adopted a policy of appeasement towards Serbia. There is however no reason why Harris should continue it. President Vucic has oriented Belgrade eastward, aligning himself with China, Russia, and other autocracies, including Azerbaijan and Hungary. Serbian munition supplies to Ukraine are worth something, but they will likely flow for economic reasons even if the political soft soaping is ended.

Appeasement has manifestly failed. It is time for tough love. That’s something Harris’ hard-edged temperament will find amenable.

Who’s is charge?

While writing this post, I learned that Alexander Kasanof will be the deputy assistant secretary of state in the European bureau responsible for both the Balkans and public diplomacy. That combination is an innovation.

President Harris is unlikely to spend much quality time on the Balkans. People lower down in the bureaucracy count. Jim O’Brien will clearly remain engaged. I don’t know Kasanof, but his background in Ukraine may well be a plus for those who would like the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all the current Balkan states reinforced. Besides, he is a Johns Hopkins/SAIS graduate. Let’s hope he knows about tough love. I wish him well!

Janjic: EULEX necessary in the exchange of data between Belgrade and Pristina in connection with the murder of a police officer (Kosovo Online)

According to Dusan Janjic from the Forum for Inter-Ethnic Relations the killing of a police officer in Loznica has no long-term consequences for the relations between Belgrade and Pristina. He added this moment should be used to resolve some issues that have been avoided in the long term, and above all the issue of information exchange related to organized crime and human security issues.

All the indicators, from the perpetrator, the network he used to escape from prison in Kosovo and finally the confrontation with the police officer, speak of actual criminal motives, Janjic told the portal Kosovo Online.

“There is no doubt that there was a full consciousness to kill that police officer, who was performing his official duty. This political moment is contained in the very biography of the perpetrator, he was a member of the KLA. But his job, dealing with marijuana and his escape, and when you see those channels that helped him, it’s actually the Balkan route for selling marijuana and drugs, when it comes from Italy via Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Republika Srpska and probably the goal was to escape somewhere to Spain or Germany. And so, the political moment that was emphasized by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, does not work. This cannot be taken as evidence of terrorist activity from the territory of Kosovo against the territory of Serbia”, he opined.

He pointed out that what is “unbelievable” is how EULEX has not been doing its job in the last couple of years.

“It simply perceives itself as a service that makes the Kosovo police more efficient, it interferes very little in the exchange of data between the police of Serbia, Kosovo, and investigative bodies. Let’s take the case of the murder of Oliver Ivanovic or Banjska. In the future, Dacic and the government must ask someone like Lajcak or Borrell, this to be a topic of the talks. EULEX is very necessary in the exchange of data, when it comes to crime, human security, crimes against women and the like”, Janjic said.

According to him, NATO oversees the military aspect, and the Serbs, as he said, are currently really troubled by security, the relationship with the police, and crime. He added that since 2013, security has not been discussed at all in the talks, and when cases like this happen, “then politicization starts and then everyone goes to their elections, and citizens die”.

“The murder was for criminal reasons, but it also has political consequences, especially when that happens in this situation of Albanian-Serbian relations. Political consequences always exist and when it comes to inter-ethnic relations one should always be careful. That is why it is important, so that it would not turn into a conflict, because we will not get a solution, we will not get justice. That man was killed, but the network that carried him will not be revealed, and I am sure that his escape is part of organized crime, it is not an ordinary crime, there are many people involved”, he noted.

He points out that if in Mitrovica - where Hajrizi escaped from prison – “you have such repression and the alleged efficiency of the Kosovo police forces when they have to close pharmacies, hand over companies to the Kosovo Privatization Agency, this causes a new distance between the Serbs and the police and causes that additional sense of threat”.

“Nationalist motivation should not be ruled out, but first we need to gather all the data, and number one is to get to the facts. Without EULEX, we will not be able to do that”, Janjic concluded.

International

Boosted Kosovo border patrols roll through rough terrain (RFE)

Increased NATO-led patrols are running along the Kosovo-Serbia border in the wake of rising tension. Northern Kosovo is a Serb-majority area with a porous frontier that has allowed smugglers and militants to cross into Kosovo towns, sometimes sparking deadly clashes. KFOR units guard against the prospect of further attacks.

See more at: https://shorturl.at/7w3nd

Ex-KLA supremo’s testimony at Thaci trial bolsters both prosecution and defence cases (BIRN)

In an unprecedented three-week-long public testimony at the trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three co-accused at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in the Hague, the 75th witness provided testimony that bolstered both the prosecution and defence cases.

Bislim Zyrapi, former Chief of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, General Staff, testified from July 1 to 18 in almost fully public sessions.

During prosecution questioning, he explained the KLA’s structure, and that the General Staff Commander was responsible for replacing operational zone commanders and for attempting to turn the KLA into a proper army.

The four defendants in the trial – Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi – are accused of having individual and command responsibility for crimes committed against prisoners held at KLA detention facilities in Kosovo and neighbouring Albania, including 102 murders. The crimes were allegedly committed between roughly March 1998 and September 1999, during and just after the war in Kosovo. All four accused have pleaded not guilty.