Angela Griep

Officials in Pristina have yet to publicly respond since the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague urged Kosovo to create a new reparation mechanism for war crimes victims in order to ensure "equal treatment between the suspects and accused".

In December 2019, Gani was interviewed as a witness by prosecutors from The Hague. Gani is not his real name; BIRN is using a pseudonym to protect his identity. Many witnesses are fearful of potential retribution in Kosovo; this is one of the reasons that the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which will try former KLA guerrillas for wartime crimes, was set up outside the country.

Trendafilova urged European nations to consider "comprehensive cooperation agreements" so witnesses and their families can be relocated to Western Europe.

"Without these agreements, it will be very difficult if not impossible in some cases to ensure that testimony can be given freely and without any fear," she said.

As Angela Griep, a spokesperson for The Hague tribunal, told "Politico", the statutory deadline for confirming or rejecting the indictment is six months.
This means, according to the newspaper, that the names of the indictees will be known no later than August, after which the trials on the confirmed indictments will be scheduled.

Lawyer Arianit Koci dining with judge Vladimir Mikula in Pristina on Monday. Photo: BIRN.

The Humanitarian Law Centre's call came after judge Vladimir Mikula, who has been appointed to the Specialist Chambers, was seen dining with Kosovo lawyer Arianit Koci at a restaurant in Pristina.