After the conviction in the first instance, the legal battle has officially started in the Appeal for the four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Hashim Thaçi, Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi, who last week were sentenced to a total of 81 years of imprisonment for war crimes.
According to the media in Kosovo, the Defense Teams have started this week the procedures for notifying the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo for the appeal of the decision. The defense has until Friday, September 25, to notify the court which parts of the verdict will be contested.
Thaçi and Krasniqi were each sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment, Veseli to 18 years, while Selimi to 13 years of imprisonment.
The defense has announced that the verdict contains several points that will be contested in the Appeal, especially those related to the responsibility for illegal killings and detentions, in circumstances where a third party intervenes, in this case NATO.
Meanwhile, the lawyer of the victims has until October 14 to present evidence related to damages, while the Prosecution has until November 4 to submit its papers.
Amer Alija from the Humanitarian Law Fund, which monitors trials for war crimes, told Radio Kosovo that the appeal process includes several stages and is expected to last several months, from the submission of the notice of appeal to the final decision.
According to him, the rules of procedure and evidence foresee certain deadlines for notifications, responses to complaints, submission of complaints and appointment of the session in the court of second instance.
Meanwhile, in Kosovo, the Democratic Party of Kosovo has submitted to the Assembly a project-initiative to change the Law on Specialized Chambers, saying that it aims for more accountability and transparency of this court, which is relocated to the Netherlands.
