Former Kosovo PM Ramush Haradinaj
Posted on 04/03/2008 10:52:33 AM PDT by joan
The United Nations war crimes tribunal has acquitted former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and an associate of crimes against Serbs during the Kosovo conflict but convicted another associate.
The court found Haradinaj and Idriz Balaj innocent of the charges. It sentenced another associate, Lahi Brahimaj, to six years in prison for torturing two Kosovo Serbs in Jabllanice during the conflict.
The three defendants held senior positions in the ethnic Albanian separatist group, the Kosovo Liberation Army, during the 1990s.
Prosecutors at The Hague tribunal had sought 25-year terms for the three.
Haradinaj was the highest-ranking Kosovo Albanian politician to go on trial at The Hague tribunal. He stepped down as Kosovo's prime minister in 2005 after being indicted.
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"There was a problem with witness intimidation, there was the fact that many witness appeared under protective measures, and that 18 subpoenas had to be issued, which meant that a court order had to be issued before these witness would come to testify,“ explained Kavran."
One of his priorities when he gets back to Kosovo is to go after the witnesses against him and his men in the trial. Another priority is to get into a government leadership position again. The UN-ers will be fawning all over him as they did over the years and sulked at his being taken away to the Hague.
The Hague, 3 April (AKI) – Former Kosovo prime minister Ramush Haradinaj on Thursday was acquitted of war crimes by The international Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
Ramush Haradinaj was found not guilty of 37 charges, including murder, persecution, rape and torture against Serbs and other civilians during the Kosovo rebellion against Belgrade in 1998.
The judge said much of the evidence was inconclusive and he complained of witness intimidation.
The 38-year-old former premier and another defendant Idriz Balaj will be freed. A third indictee, Lah Brahimaj, Haradinaj’s uncle was sentenced to six years in jail.
Haradinaj was a commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in western Kosovo. He was accused of driving Serb and Roma civilians from their homes, and targeting Kosovo Albanians, suspected of collaborating with Serb forces.
Prosecutor David Re had asked for a 25-year sentence for all three defendants, arguing that Haradinaj was a KLA boss in western Kosovo and clearly responsible for the violent crimes for which he had been charged.
“There was a saying: 'God in heaven, Haradinaj on earth'," Re said when he summed up his case in January.
When Haradinaj was indicted in 2005, he resigned as prime minister and willingly took part in the trial.
But Haradinaj’s acquittal is certain to complicate Belgrade’s relations with the tribunal and hamper the arrest of the remaining four fugitives, including war time Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his general Ratko Mladic.
Former ICTY prosecutor Carla del Ponte repeatedly complained about difficulties in securing witnesses against Haradinaj and his accomplices because of intimidation.
Several potential witnesses were killed before the trial. Del Ponte also accused United Nations administration in Kosovo for a lack of co-operation with the tribunal
Kosovo has been under UN control since Serbian forces withdrew from the province in 1999 and former head of the UN administration Soren Jessen Petersen described Haradinaj a “dear friend”.
The country declared independence from Serbia in February and local television carried the sentence live from The Hague on Thursday.
Kosovo president Fatmir Seidiu said earlier on Thursday that he had written to the court, saying he believed in Haradinaj’s innocence and hoped the court would pass “a just verdict”.
Serbian president Boris Tadic said before the sentence Haradinaj’s acquittal would send a bad message to minority Serbs in Kosovo.
“That would be no justice and certainly wouldn’t encourage Serbs and non-Albanians to have a peaceful and safe life in Kosovo,” Tadic said.
The ICTY has indicted 161 individuals, mostly Serbs, for crimes allegedly committed in the last decade of the Balkan wars. More than fifty have been sentenced to over 700 years in prison.
Haradinaj acquittal proves absence of justice at ICTY
Belgrade, April 3, 2008 – Serbian Prime Minster Vojislav Kostunica said that today’s dark decision by the ICTY to acquit Ramush Haradinaj proves beyond doubt that this court was not established to provide justice.
Kostunica stressed in a written statement that it is obvious that this is a court which, among others, was formed to officially confirm that those guilty of crimes are not guilty.
Serbia explicitly and openly states that in addition to Haradinaj’s crimes a new major crime has been committed against the Serbs. The Hague tribunal mocks justice with this verdict and insults the innocent victims of Haradinaj’s crimes, stressed the Serbian Prime Minister.
He’s not a Jihadist.
And nearly all his loyalist ethnic Albanian victims were Catholic.
And his KLA fought alongside several 100 Mujahideen.
And Bin Laden did help organise KLA forces in 98
And now Kosovo is building Wahabbi financed mosques on the grounds of destroyed Christian churches.
Duck quack walk blah di blah di blah
My apologies to any and all "big piles of poop".
No offence was intended.
So, in order to understand your version better please explain to me what democracy means to you in terms of tolerance, equality and freedom. Then I'm sure you will show me what actions have been taken in Kosovo by your buddy to ensure the principals that define a democracy.
You’re raising quite a strawman there.....I haven’t mentioned things like democracy, rights, etc. I’m just telling you that Ceku, Haradinaj, and gang aren’t Islamists. They’re Albanian nationalists.
Who are more than happy to fight alongside Mujahideen.
And torch the entire Kosovo Jewish community out of their homes
And replace churches with Wahhabi funded mosques.
As for the Mujahideen, that was foisted upon them by the USA. Now, the USA fought on the same side as the Soviets in WW2, did that make the USA communist? Of course not.
Something that's very difficult indeed to believe. Haradinaj had iron discipline in the Dukagjin Zone.
Haradinaj's number two and the head of the Black Eagles, Toger, ran amok, slaughtering dozens of loyalist Albanians, Rom, Serbs.
He got off too.
Welcome to the brave New World Order. Where heroin and sex slave dealers and Al Qaeda enthusiasts are given land in the heart of Europe. Coming to a suburb near you. The US got a glimpse of this justice in the days after 9 11 when Bin Laden's family were gratefully flown out of the US
Unlike Bin Laden's brood, proud and loyal Yanks of course couldn't use planes as they were considered a security risk.
And this is just a prelude. The real fugue's to come
And what wretched excuse is there for the KLA torching the Pristina Jews?
Yep, just like the Serbian terrorist Veselin Sljivancanin got off for the murders of Croatians at Ovcara, near Vukovar.
Dot One: The very first thing the KLA did when they took control of Kosovo in 99 was to torch all the Jews out of Pristina. After threatening to murder them of course.
Dot Two: Stick that alongside the 500 odd Mujahideen in their ranks
Dot Three: Chuck in the Wahhabi connection
Dot Four: Bin Laden was in Northern Albania in 98 helping with logistics
Dot Five: The EIJ were given sanctuary in Albania after assassinating Sadat by Berisha, who was recently reelected in Albania.
2. At the behest of the CIA/State Dep't and Saudi Arabia. More than a dozen incidents occurred during that time in which the KLA fired upon or evicted Mujahideen from their ranks, only to run into opposition from the USA. Read Aukai Collins' on this matter for beginners. He was a Mujahid there at the time.
3. Again, at the behest of the CIA/State Dep't and Saudi Arabia.
4. Again, at the behest of the CIA/State Dep't and Saudi Arabia.
Yes -- and why? Because these heroin & sex slave dealers, and al Qaeda jihadists have enormous amounts money to invest in PR Firms, Lobbyists and political contributions to our political candidates, who have been selling out our country to the highest bidders!
It's long past time for this to be stopped -- but, unfortunately Joe Average voter is blissfully unaware of these transactions and the ultimate consequences.
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