Haradinaj et al. Appeals Judgement To Be Rendered on 21 July 2010

The Appeals Judgement in the case of Ramush Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj, three former commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), will be rendered on Wednesday, 21 July 2010 at 9:30 in Courtroom I.

Media planning to attend the judgement are asked to notify the Press Office at press [at] icty.org or +31 (70) 512 8752.

This case concerns crimes committed between 1 March and 30 September 1998 in the Dukagjin area of Western Kosovo. During the period in question, Haradinaj was a commander of the KLA in Dukagjin area, Balaj was the commander of the Black Eagles Unit within the KLA, and Brahimaj a KLA member stationed in the force’s Jablanica/Jabllanicë headquarters in Ðakovica/Gjakovë municipality.

In April 2008, the Trial Chamber acquitted Haradinaj and Balaj of all charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced Brahimaj to six years’ imprisonment for cruel treatment and torture of two persons at the Jablanica/Jabllanicë headquarters of the KLA.

Brahimaj was found guilty of personally participating in the cruel treatment and torture of Witness 6 who was, from mid-June 1998 detained in Jablanica/Jabllanicë compound. He was also found guilty of cruel treatment and torture for the role he played in the interrogations of Witness 3 who was detained at the Jablanica/Jabllanicë headquarters in July 1998. Following the interrogation, Brahimaj told two women dressed in black uniforms to practice on the victim, whereupon the persons in question started beating Witness 3. Both victims were detained and submitted to mistreatment and discrimination on the basis of their perceived collaboration with or ties to the Serbs.
 
The Prosecution filed its appeal brief against the Trial Chamber judgement on 17 July 2008. The Defence of Brahimaj filed its appeal brief on 19 July 2008. Haradinaj and Balaj were released after the judgement was rendered. Brahimaj was granted provisional release pending the hearing of his appeal on 25 May 2009. On 2 July 2010, he was ordered to return to the Detention Unit for the purpose of hearing the Appeals Judgement.

The initial indictment against Haradinaj and his two co-Accused was issued on 4 March 2005. All three surrendered on 9 March 2005. The trial commenced on 5 March 2007 with the Prosecution’s case ending in November 2007. All three defence teams chose not to call any evidence. The closing arguments were heard between 21 and 23 January 2008.

The Tribunal has indicted a total of 11 individuals, both Serbian and Kosovo Albanians, for crimes committed in Kosovo. Of these, the trial of Vlastimir Ðorđević, a former senior Serbian police official charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes against Kosovo Albanian civilians in 1999, is still ongoing.

Since its establishment, the Tribunal has indicted 161 persons for serious violations of humanitarian law committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 2001.  Proceedings against 125 have been concluded. Proceedings are currently open for 36 Accused with 18 at trial stage and 16 before the Appeals Chamber.

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An information sheet on the case can be found at
http://www.icty.org/x/cases/haradinaj/cis/en/cis_haradinaj_al_en.pdf

The Trial Chamber judgement is available at:
http://www.icty.org/case/haradinaj/#tjug

Courtroom proceedings can be followed on the Tribunal’s website at www.icty.org

The reading of the Summary of the Judgement will be carried live.