Acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, was sentenced to 1 year of suspended imprisonment for throwing tear gas in the Assembly of Kosovo in 2018. The decision was announced today by judge Sabit Sadikaj, while the verification period was set at one year. Prosecutor Valdrin Krasniqi had earlier requested that Sveçla be sentenced to two years in prison and a 3 thousand euro fine. In the session announcing the decision, the lawyer of Svečla, Laur Prenaj, stated that the defense will not make a statement, stressing that his client has not admitted guilt.
Sveçla was not present in the Court during the announcement of the verdict. The Basic Court in Pristina had declared Svečla guilty on September 2 for the criminal offense of “Using a dangerous weapon or tool”.
According to the findings of the court, Sveçla had activated and thrown a canister of tear gas in the Assembly hall, making it impossible to continue the session. Meanwhile, in the indictment Sveçla was also charged with the criminal offense of “Obstructing an official in the performance of his official duties”. For this point, the court received a rejection judgment, after finding that the criminal prosecution had reached the statute of limitations.
