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| |  | | Ramush Haradinaj | | | context : | Former Yugoslavia  | | judgement place : | ICTY (Yugoslavia) | | status : | Acquitted | | particulars : | Trial began on 5 March 2007; acquitted of all charges on 3 April 2008; appeal by the Prosecutor pending | | position : | Commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) |
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| | | | The Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY issued an Act of Indictment against Ramush
Haradinaj on 4 March 2005.
He was charged, on the basis of both his individual criminal responsibility (Art. 7 §1 ICTY Statute) and as hierarchical superior (Art. 7 § 3 ICTY Statute), with 37 counts of crimes against humanity (Art. 5 ICTY Statute) and violations of the laws and customs of war (Art. 3 ICTY Statute) for the following acts:
- persecutions
- murder
- looting
- wanton destruction of towns and villages
- deportation
- forced displacement
- other inhumane acts.
On 8 March 2005, Ramush Haradinaj signed and accepted the official notification of his indictment and upon doing so, immediately resigned from his position as Prime Minister of Kosovo.
He turned himself into the custody of the ICTY and went directly to the Scheveningen prison in The Hague.
On his initial appearance before the ICTY on 14 March 2005, Ramush Haradinaj pleaded non guilty to all of the charges brought against him.
On June 7, 2005, he was provisionally released pending the beginning of his trial.
The Trial of Haradinaj and his two co-accused (Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj, see "related cases") began on 5 March 2007,
All the way through the trial, the prosecutor denounced the pression exerted upon prosecution witnesses. Several of the witnesses refused to appear before the Tribunal. The judges issued three indictments for contempt of the court. According to a Tribunal source, three witnesses were allegedly assassinated, but the prosecutor has not presented any evidence to support such allegations. For the first time in the Tribunal's history, the defence decided at the end of November 2007 not to call on any witnesses.
The closing arguments were presented on 21 January 2008. The prosecutor has asked for 25 years imprisonment for each of the three accused.
On 3 April 2008, Haradinaj and Balaj were acquitted of all the charges. Brahimaj was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for cruel treatment and torture of two persons at the Jablanica/Jabllanicë headquarters of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
The Trial Chamber ordered the immediate release of Haradinaj and Balaj from the Detention Unit.
On 2 May 2008 the Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY lodged an appeal against the acquittal asking that the case be retried before a different chamber of the tribunal on the grounds that prosecution was not allowed to present enough witnesses during trial. | |     click for more... | |  |  | | nationality : | | | Albania | | | date of birth : | | | 03.07.1968 | | | also known as : | | | Smajl | | | period of charges : | | | 01.03.1998 - 30.09.1998 | | | judgement period : | | | 05.03.2007 | | | charges : | | | Crimes against humanity
War crimes | | | profile last modified : | | | 04.05.2008 |
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