Former US Secretary of State James Rubin continued this Tuesday (September 16), his testimony at the Hague Special Court in the process against former KLA war crimes. He was called as the first witness by the defense of former President Hashim Thaci.
Rubin, who served as a Secretary of State for Public Affairs and State Department spokesperson during 1997-2000, told the United States that the United States had considered the allegations against the KLA, but they were never proven.
“There have been claims and charges for a year, but we considered them and failed to prove them. There is no evidence or information that the KLA leadership has given orders or was involved in organized crimes.
Asked by the Special Prosecution about the report of former Council of Europe reporter Dick Marty, Rubin stressed that “never came out of it.”
In his testimony, Rubin expressed great concern about the duration of Thaci’s and former KLA detention, saying he thinks he “relates to politics”.
“The fact that the accused have been in custody for more than 5 years, and the fact that they have been voluntarily surrendered and the fact that they have been kept so long, I think it is related to politics. I am concerned with the fact that someone will be detained for so long, these persons have come voluntarily and have been cooperative with the court. Albright did not have this justice in mind when he recorded the Hague Tribunal. Wrong, I’m not a lawyer, this is not justice, ”said Ruby in the courtroom.
In the testimony of the day before, Rubin added that the Serbian regime had attempted to cover its crimes by attributing them to the KLA.
“The Serbian government has always tried to blame the KLA and it was in line with the way they act at the time,” the former US diplomat said. The process against Thaci and other former KLA leaders are expected to continue to hear other witnesses in the coming days.
Indictment against former Kosovo Liberation Armys, Hashim Thaci and his associates, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi, included illegal imprisonment, torture, murder and persecution, charges they have denied.
