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| |  | | Idriz Balaj | | | context : | Former Yugoslavia  | | judgement place : | ICTY (Yugoslavia) | | status : | Acquitted | | particulars : | Trial began on 5 March 2007; acquitted of all charges on 3 April 2008 | | position : | Commander of the special unit known as the “Black Eagles” |
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| | | | Indicted by the ICTY Prosecutor at the same time as Ramush Haradinaj and Lahi Brahimaj (see "related cases") on 4 March 2005, Idriz Balaj was charged as being individually responsible for having committed the crimes set out in the indictment (Art. 7(1) ICTY Statute) and also for his superior responsibility (Art. 7(3) ICTY Statute).
The indictment charged him in particular on the grounds that:
- he repeatedly abducted, beat, mutilated, tortured and murdered civilians and detained persons taking no active part in hostilities;
- he raped a Roma woman;
- he attempted to prevent enquiry into and to conceal the abduction and murder of civilians and the disposal of their bodies in the Radonjic/Radoniq Lake.
Idriz Balaj was held at the ICTY penitentiary from 9 March 2005. On his first appearance, on 14 March 2005, Idriz Balaj pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
The Trial of Balaj and his two co-accused (Ramush Haradinaj and Lahi Brahimaj, began on 5 March 2007,
All the way through the trial, the prosecutor denounced the pressure exerted upon prosecution witnesses. Several of the witnesses refused to appear before the Tribunal. The judges issued three indictments for contempt of court. According to a Tribunal source, three witnesses were allegedly assassinated, but the prosecutor did not present 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 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.
The Prosecutor lodged an appeal against the acquittal and the case is still pending before the Appeals Chamber. | |    | |  |  | | nationality : | | | Albania | | | date of birth : | | | 23.08.1971 | | | period of charges : | | | 01.04.1998 - 30.09.1998 | | | judgement period : | | | 05.03.2007 - 03.04.2008 | | | charges : | | | Crimes against humanity
War crimes | | | profile last modified : | | | 08.03.2010 |
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