Time for eULeX To prioriTize war crimes - Amnesty International ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

10 Kosovo: Time for EULEX to prioritize war crimes connection with the abduction, detention and murder of at least 35 civilians, including Serbs, Roma and ethnic Albanians, during the 1998 non international armed conflict. Twelve of the victims were killed between 24 June 1998 and 26 July 1998 at the Lapušnik/Llapushnik Prison Camp, and 10 were killed in or around the Beriša/Berisha mountains near the camp. Haradin Bala was convicted of torture, cruel treatment and murder and sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment. Fatmir Limaj and Isak Musliu were acquitted. These verdicts were confirmed on appeal. 16 In April 2008 the Trial Chamber acquitted Ramush Haradinaj, former KLA commander and subsequently prime minister of Kosovo, and Idriz Balaj, a former unit commander, of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Lahi Brahimaj, a member of the KLA general staff, was acquitted of crimes against humanity but convicted for war crimes for the cruel treatment and torture of two witnesses and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. 17 The indictment had alleged that the three men were part of a joint criminal enterprise, responsible for the unlawful removal and cruel treatment, torture, rape and murder of up to 60 Albanians, Serbs, Roma and Egyptian civilians abducted by the KLA and imprisoned at the KLA’s Jablanica compound in 1998. The Trial Chamber found insufficient evidence to conclude there was an attack on the civilian population. Following an appeal by the prosecution, in July 2010 the Appeals Chamber ordered a partial retrial, on the grounds of “the threat [that] witness intimidation posed to the trial’s integrity”. 18 Proceedings opened in August 2011. PROSECUTIONS IN SERBIA At the Special War Crimes Chamber at Belgrade District Court, as of 10 February 2012, seven final judgements had been issued in relation to Kosovo, three retrials were ongoing and two cases were at the initial stage of prosecution. 19 Final judgments had been issued in the following cases, in which 12 Serbian defendants and one ethnic Albanian have been convicted, and four Serbs acquitted. Prosecutions were conducted under Article 142 of the 1976 Serbian Penal Code in force in 1999 20 , as war crimes against the civilian population, in the following cases:: Đakovica (Lekaj); Scorpions 1 (S.Medić and others); Scorpions 2 (A.Medić); Suva Reka (Mitrović and others); Suva Reka (Repanović); Podujevo 2 (Đukić and others); and Podujevo 2 (Đukić). Retrials were in progress, following appeals against first instance judgements: against the Kosovo Albanian “Gnjilane group”, (Ajdari and others, KTRZ 16/08, see below, p.33); and against Sinan Morina, another Kosovo Albanian, previously acquitted of war crimes against eight Serbian civilians in Orahovac/Rahovec. In another retrial, under Article 144 of the Basic Penal Code, two Serbian Special Unit (PJP, Posebne Jedinice Policije) police officers, are being prosecuted for the enforced disappearance of the American-Albanian Bytici brothers, as a war crimes against prisoners of war. In current proceedings related to Ćuška/Qyshk, the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor (OWCP) has been assisted in investigations by EULEX investigators and prosecutors. Cooperation with the OWCP has greatly increased under EULEX, with information being exchanged in 19 cases, as of February 2012. An agreement on judicial cooperation between EULEX and the Serbian judiciary has yet to be signed. Amnesty International April 2012 Index: EUR 70/004/2012
Kosovo: Time for EULEX to prioritize war crimes 11 Continuing obstacles to the investigation and prosecution in Serbia of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Kosovo will be addressed in a separate report, to be published in 2013. UNDER UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION Proceedings have also taken place, under universal jurisdiction, outside Kosovo. Following his arrest in Sweden in April 2010, on 20 January 2012 Milić Martinović, a former member of the Serbian special PJP police, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Stockholm district court for his role in the Ćuška/Qyshk massacre, in which 40 Kosovo Albanians were killed on 14 May 1999 by Serbian forces. He was found guilty of aggravated crimes against humanity, including murder, attempted murder and aggravated arson. Index: EUR 70/004/2012 Amnesty International April 2012
Page 1 and 2: campaign for inTernaTionaL JUsTice
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Glossary of Acronyms .....
Page 5 and 6: 1. INTRODUCTION Kosovo: Time for EU
Page 7 and 8: 2. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Koso
Page 9 and 10: Kosovo: Time for EULEX to prioritiz
Page 11: Kosovo: Time for EULEX to prioritiz
Page 53 and 54: willing, but enthusiastic to engage
Page 61 and 62: time by the Law on the Prosecutor's
Page 63 and 64:
Kosovo: Time for EULEX to prioritiz
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
102 Amnesty International interview
Page 73 and 74:
Page 76 and 77:
i wanT To HeLp WHETHER IN A HIGH-PR
show all

Time for eULeX To prioriTize war crimes - Amnesty International ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?