Balkans | Penalty reduction for former directors of the Kosovo War Veterans Association from the Court of Appeal in The Hague

The Court of Appeals within the scope of the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Kosovo and Chambers in The Hague, Netherlands, reduced the sentences of Husni Gocati and Nasim Haradinaj, former directors of the KLA Veterans Association, who were sentenced to 4.5 years in prison each.

The appeal affirmed the four-year and three-month prison sentence imposed on the defendants, and it was announced that the detention periods would be counted as part of the sentence.

During the hearing, it was reported that Gucati gave 20 reasons and Haradinaj gave 24 reasons to reduce the sentence, but only the reason related to “unauthorized disclosure of the identity of a protected person” was accepted by the commission.

Gucati and Haradinaj, who were transferred to the detention center in The Hague after being detained in Pristina on September 25, 2020, were sentenced to 4.5 years in prison each year for violating court secrecy in 2022, in their trial, which lasted about a year as suspects.

The Trial Committee determined that Gokati and Haradinaj had disclosed confidential information related to the investigation and internal work of the Special Investigation Team and the Office of the Special Prosecutor through 3 press conferences, more than 20 media releases and posts on their social media accounts in September 2020.

Kosovo Special Chambers and Prosecutor’s Office

The Special Court, also known as the Kosovo Special Chambers and the Special Prosecutor’s Office, and the Special Prosecutor’s Office within it were established in The Hague, Netherlands in 2011.

This judicial body, set up to investigate and prosecute war crimes allegedly committed in Kosovo between 1998-2000, is made up of international judges and prosecutors.

Since the beginning of 2019, the Office of the Special Prosecutor has invited dozens of former KLA members to testify.

The first indictment against KLA leaders, former President Hashim Thaci, former Speakers of Parliament Jakub Krasnici and Kadri Veseli, and former MP Recep Selimi, imprisoned in The Hague since 2020, was approved on October 26, 2020. The suspects have been charged with war crimes such as murder exile and torture.

The trial of Thaci and the other defendants is expected to open in The Hague on March 1.

AA