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He was put in handcuffs by order of The Hague, here are the statements that led to Goxhaj's arrest

2023-08-01 12:00:33Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
He was put in handcuffs by order of The Hague, here are the statements that led
Dritan Goxhaj and Nazlie Balaj, activists of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Advisor to the Minister of Justice of Kosovo

Citizens of Albania also joined the war of the Kosovo Liberation Army. One of them was Dritan Goxhaj. He joined the KLA as an officer of the Albanian Army at the aviation school together with his father, Dilaver Goxhaj. The latter was known in the war as Commander Golem. His father was the deputy chief of staff of the KLA and together with his son went to war voluntarily (1998-1999).

Dritan Goxhaj had the authorization of the General Staff to maintain contact with the command of the American forces in Albania

But a day ago Dritan Goxhaj was arrested in Albania.

This represents the first case of the arrest of an Albanian citizen by order of the Specialized Chambers, which operate in The Hague under the laws of Kosovo, but with international personnel.

The Special Court, which was established by the parliament of Kosovo, followed the claims raised in the 2011 report drawn up by the envoy of the Council of Europe, Dick Marty, which contains accusations against former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army for kidnapping, ill-treatment, extrajudicial killings and in some cases forceful removal of human organs and their trafficking from Albania during and after the war in Kosovo.

The statements that led to Goxhaj's arrest

On January 2 of this year, the former head of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Dritan Goxhaj, stated that Nazlie Balaj, advisor to the Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, is a protected witness of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in The Hague.

In the article entitled "Mëmëdheu, the KLA and the special court", which was published in KosovaPress, he wrote that Balaj is a relative of one of the victims for whom the former superior of the KLA was convicted by the Special Court. Salih Mustafa.

"The third witness, also protected and hidden, is called Nazlie Balaj", claims the former KLA officer, in the published article.

In addition to Nazlie Bala, he mentioned several other names.

"This is an advisor to the Minister of Justice in the Government of Kosovo. Apart from the fact that she is a relative of the victim, no one can figure out how she could be a witness to an event that she only heard about," wrote Goxhaj.

Nazlie Balaj, activist of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Advisor to the Minister of Justice of Kosovo

The reaction of Balaj, the advisor to the Minister of Justice

Nazlie Balaj, activist of the Vetëvendosje Movement, reacted to the statement of Dritan Goxhaj, the former superior of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who accused her of being a protected witness of the Special Prosecutor's Office in The Hague.

In a statement for the Nationale newspaper, Mrs. Balaj, who is an advisor to Albulena Haxhiu, Minister of Justice, denied such a thing.

"Oh, I have nothing to do with this work, I don't even know what they are telling you, do you know putting your life in danger is also very disturbing what the media write. Please, I have nothing to do with this topic, absolutely nothing. I have nothing to do with this" - said Mrs. Balaj.

What was Salih Mustafa sentenced for in The Hague?

The former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Salih Mustafa, was sentenced on Friday (December 16, 2022) by the Special Court, based in The Hague, to 26 years in prison for unlawful killing, arbitrary detention and torture.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for arbitrary detention, 22 years in prison for torture and 25 years in prison for unlawful killing.

"The judicial body sentences you with a unified decision to 26 years of imprisonment, where the time spent in detention will be counted", said the chief judge, Mappie Veldt-Foglia, adding that the crimes were committed against Albanians.

He has been found not guilty of cruel treatment.

According to the indictment, Salih Mustafa, known as 'commander Cali', was the commander of the BIA guerrilla unit, the unit within the Llap Operational Area of ​​the Kosovo Liberation Army.

At the same time, this is the first decision of this institution regarding the investigations of war crimes in Kosovo.

The Special Court investigates alleged crimes committed by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army against ethnic minorities and political rivals in the period January 1998 - December 2000.

The court is based in The Hague, Netherlands, but operates according to the laws of Kosovo.

Chief judge Veldt-Foglia said before announcing the decision that she has wrong opinions that the charges are against the Kosovo Liberation Army and the people of Kosovo.

"The KLA has never been tried".

She said that the victims who participated in the trial against Mustafa are afraid for themselves and their families, and are still traumatized by what they experienced.

In summing up the verdict, Veldt-Foglia said that the testimonies of the witnesses were clear, coherent and consistent.

"The evidence has confirmed each other," she said.

Earlier, at this institution, Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj were convicted for obstructing the administration of justice.

Other Special Court proceedings

In addition to Mustafa, the former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, the former head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Kadri Veseli, the former member of the General Staff of the KLA, Rexhep Selimi, the former spokesman of of the KLA, Jakup Krasniqi and the other former member of the KLA, Pjetër Shala.

According to the indictment, Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi, Selimi, and Shala are suspected of criminal offenses related to war crimes: illegal or arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and illegal killing and crimes against humanity: imprisonment, other inhuman acts. , enforced disappearance of persons and persecution, which, according to the Specialized Chambers, took place between March 1998 and September 1999.

The crimes are alleged to have been committed in several locations in Kosovo and in the north of Albania, namely in Kukës and Cahan.

All have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

At the beginning of April, the trial began against the former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, and three former senior political officials, Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi, all former senior leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, under charges of war crimes. and crimes against humanity. They are accused of persecution, imprisonment, other inhumane acts, torture, murder and forced disappearance of persons.

Currently, the process against the former member of the KLA, Pjetër Shala, accused of criminal offences, is taking place; arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful killing during the war period in Kosovo.

All of them have denied the accusations, which have provoked reactions in Kosovo, where it is claimed that in this way reconciliation is being made with the atrocities committed by the Serbian forces during the war of 1998-1999.

The war that ended with the intervention of NATO, left behind over 10,000 killed and thousands of missing, most of whom are of Albanian nationality. / SI Newspaper


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