Former Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, could be serving a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity (The Wall Street Journal). The charges stem back to 1998, when Haradinaj was a commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army fighting against Serbia for independence (CNN World). In March 2005, Haradinaj was indicted along with two other members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj. The three men were accused of jointly attempting to gain control for the Kosovo Liberation Army over the area of Dukagjin. The men did so by illegally removing citizens (CNN World). Although the men did not commit all the crimes themselves, they are held responsible because they were part of the "joint criminal enterprise." All three have pleaded not guilty to 37 counts, including murder, rape, torture, and persecution (The Wall Street Journal). .
Two years ago, the men were acquitted of murder. All charges were dropped against Haradinaj and Balaj, but Brahimaj was sentenced to six years for torture. However, The Hague war crimes tribunal is outraged, claiming that the trial was biased and incomplete because two of the prosecution's witnesses were too intimidated to testify. Six of the original 37 counts were reinstated against the men. This will be the first retrial in the history of the tribunal. A date has still not been set, and it is unknown whether or not the vital witnesses who did not testify in 2005 will be present at the retrial (Telegraph.co.uk). .
Michael O'Reilly, Haradinaj's lawyer, says he was "extremely surprised" by the decision for a retrial. He is currently working on getting Haradinaj back to Kosovo and setting the earliest possible date to begin the retrial. Veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army have expressed their dissent by saying, "If his detention continues, everything is clear: destabilization not only of Kosovo but of the entire Balkans.
