Kosovo President Thaci faces war crimes indictment

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has been accused of war crimes by a special international prosecutor in The Hague.

Mr Thaci and nine others “are criminally responsible for nearly 100 murders”, torture and enforced disappearances, the prosecutor said.

The accusations – covering Kosovo’s independence war against Serbia in 1998-1999 – have to be confirmed by a judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers before formal charges are announced.

Mr Thaci has denied all charges.

In its announcement, the Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) said that, on 24 April, it had filed a 10-count indictment with the KSC “for the Court’s consideration”. It has not released details about the alleged war crimes.

“The Indictment is only an accusation. It is the result of a lengthy investigation and reflects the SPO’s determination that it can prove all of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” it said.

The statement also said Mr Thaci and another of the accused, Kosovo politician Kadri Veseli, have sought to “obstruct and undermine” the SPO’s work “in an attempt to ensure that they do not face justice”.

A pre-trial judge now has six months to decide if the court will issue charges.

Allegations of organ-trafficking against the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) – the rebel movement that Mr Thaci led – were first set out by a former Hague war crimes prosecutor, Carla del Ponte in 2008. The EU-backed court was set up to investigate the claims.

Kosovo’s government has angrily denied the allegations, calling them “baseless and defamatory” ahead of the publication of a report in 2010.

Source: bbc.com

The post Kosovo President Thaci faces war crimes indictment appeared first on The Chronicle Online.

Read Full Story