The Trial

Halil Berisha, a journalist from Pristina, told the trial of Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans' Organisation leaders Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Tuesday how he received the allegedly leaked war crimes case files from the defendants.

The indictment claims that in the months prior to the leak, the two men made statements calling witnesses who collaborated with the Specialist Chambers "liars, collaborators, and traitors" in an attempt to "undermine and obstruct" the court.

Due to their publication, officials of the Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans' Association Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj were arrested and accused of undermining the work of the court.

The trial began by verifying the identities of the accused and acquainting them with their rights.
At the suggestion of the lawyer, the indictment was not read to them because they were already familiar with it, and all the accused stated that they understood the allegations of the indictment and that they were not guilty, RTS reports.

The Kosovo state prosecution told BIRN on Wednesday that it will appeal against Pristina Basic Court's verdict acquitting ex-premier Agim Ceku and 11 co-defendants of abusing their official positions to add people to a government-approved list of Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA war veterans eligible for benefits.

The latest postponement on health grounds of a hearing in the trial of two Serbs accused over a massacre in the Kosovo village of Trnje raised concerns that Serbian Army medical facilities play a role in delaying war crimes proceedings.

However, in case it reaches the Kosovo Assembly and gets its endorsement, the government would respect it, Tanjug quoted him as saying on Thursday, citing the Pristina-based website Indeksonline.

Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said this on Tuesday, reacting to the threats coming from Albanian politicians in Pristina ahead of the launch of the Specialist Chambers, i.e., the special court for KLA ("Kosovo Liberation Army") crimes.

Ramush Haradinaj has called for "an international investigation" after a FYROM (Macedonian) court sentenced 33 members of the "Kumanovo Group" to lengthy prison terms.

The Kosovo prime minister said on Friday he was following the trial in the wake of "the tragic event in Kumanovo in May 2015" with "increased attention."

Ramush Haradinaj has called for "an international investigation" after a Macedonian court sentenced 33 members of the "Kumanovo Group" to lengthy prison terms.

The Kosovo prime minister said on Friday he was following the trial in the wake of "the tragic event in Kumanovo in May 2015" with "increased attention."