"Court for KLA is not criticism of Hague's work"

"Court for KLA is not criticism of Hague's work"

THE HAGUE -- Serge Brammertz says a tribunal to deal with KLA crimes would not represent "criticism of the work of the Hague Tribunal concerning the Kosovo conflict."

"I see the creation of a new court as complementary to the work of the Tribunal, more than anything else," the chief Hague prosecutor told BIRN in an interview.

Brammertz said that adequate evidence against KLA members was not available in time to start trials before the Hague tribunal began the process of reducing its activities ahead of the upcoming closure.

"Prior to the adoption of the strategy of closing this court, there was limited evidence available about these crimes, so indictments could not be raised, and later, when the strategy was adopted, it was impossible to start new investigations," he stated.

The assembly of Kosovo adopted on April 23 a law providing for the establishment of a special court for war crimes committed by the members of the now disbanded, ethnic Albanian KLA. The court is meant to deal with the accusations from the report submitted by then Council of Europe Special Rapporteur Dick Marty in 2010.

This concern allegations of the KLA's involvement in kidnappings, illegal imprisonment, and harvesting of organs of Serb and other civilians.