Bad times for dangerous heroes

The wheels of justice grind slowly, but thoroughly. The proverb is often striving to lose Faith in the justice. In Kosovo, there was, but since the end of the war almost 20 years ago, no justice, which would have been able to keep track of former commanders of the kosovo Albanian rebel army KLA for war crimes consistently. Witnesses have been threatened, shot or, with the Offices and privileges Silenced, local judges and prosecutors dared hardly, the Mighty confront. Who is considered the legend of the "clean war of liberation" against the Serbian Repression skeptical, was vilified as traitors to their country.

Now, Kosovo's dangerous heroes are no longer untouchable. At the airport of Pristina to be expected in these days of Charter flights, you should. alleged war criminals to The Hague to surrender There's a special Tribunal to investigate the atrocities committed by the KLA. In the past few weeks, about ten of the former rebel leaders have been summoned to appear in January before the court as witnesses or suspects. The first to land next week in The Hague.

Sylejman Selimi was at the peak of the war, the KLA's chief of staff. Photo: Reuters

Three names stand out in particular. Sylejman Selimi, in the 90s, a talented footballer and a budding mining engineer, was one of the founders of the Kosovo liberation army, which wanted to shake up with a series of attacks on Serbian police officers of the world public about the arbitrary rule of Belgrade. At the height of the war in the year 1999 Selimi staff was chief of the guerrillas. Until 2015, the judge of the EU rule of law mission, Eulex, condemned him for the use of torture to six years in prison. Now the 48-Year-old is also in the sights of the special Tribunal in The Hague.

hatchet man

Sami Lushtaku (57) is another prominent KLA-the man who has to take the column in front of the court. He is considered to be one of the most influential veteran of Kosovo under world, politics and the economy. His Name appears in several corruption scandals, in the competition for public contracts his straw men are always active, and if it is in the Parliament, dicey, then Lushtaku rushes, in order to make the representatives of the people to heel. At the beginning of October, Kosovan media reported that he had been stopped at the airport of Zurich by the police shortly. Lushtaku denied the reports, but confirmed his stay as a "Tourist" in Switzerland, where he had "friends" have made. The United States have imposed against Lushtaku, the mayor of a small community, refused entry to the country.

Sami Lushtaku (here in the year 2000) remains a powerful man. Photo: Reuters

A summons from The Hague for questioning as an accused Person has also received Rrustem Mustafa. The 47-Year-old commanded during the war, the insurgents in the North-East of the country. Connoisseurs of the Kosovar shadow world to describe Mustafa as the "godfather of Pristina". In the capital, he should have business premises, building land and a million-dollar Villa.

Rrustem Mustafa (here in the year 2000) is considered the "godfather of Pristina". Photo: EPA

these and other former guerrillas will finally be prosecuted by the international justice, is a Swiss politician. The former FDP Council of States Dick Marty, published in December 2010 on behalf of the Council of Europe on a hair-raising rebel report on alleged war crimes in the kosovo-Albanian. It is ethnically motivated expulsions, kidnappings and executions. Marty accused the KLA leadership figures, also the trade in organs from prisoners, the Serbs and the Roma. Credible evidence he provided, but also such crimes can not be excluded. The head of the gang was Hashim Thaçi, claimed Marty.

When his report eight years ago, appeared, was Thaçi Prime Minister of Kosovo. He rejected the allegations, likening the Ticino with Joseph Goebbels and threatened with a lawsuit that never took place. Since 2016 Thaçi head of state and since then, he has taken some steps to torpedo the work of the international justice. He tried the special Tribunal by Parliament's decision to abolish. This was prevented by Western diplomats. Strikingly often Thaçi country people features with order that he slandered in times of war, "Serbian spies" and, apparently, single-handedly beat up. So you should be silenced. Currently, no one is likely to know outside the office of the Prosecutor, whether a day is threatening the President of the Republic to a method for war crimes.

Switzerland supports The Hague with 200'000 Swiss francs

In Marty's report are mentioned next to Thaçi, other senior KLA leaders in connection with acts of violence against civilians. Most of them lived before the war in Switzerland. This "Swiss Connection" designated group dominates the political scene of Kosovo.

The dark war Chapter will also be illuminated with Swiss help. A year ago, the Federal authorities granted 200'000 Swiss francs, to support the work of the special court in The Hague. Protected witnesses were or probably still in Switzerland. The Swiss lawyer Guénaël Mettraux is one of the 19 judges, who are soon to speak of law in Kosovo, the Specialist Chamber, so the official Name of the special Tribunal. Mettraux, criminal law Professor in Amsterdam, defended in front of the UN Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, several suspected war criminals from the Balkans.

The fear of a statement

The Prosecutor and judges of the special Tribunal for Kosovo in front of great difficulties. For on-site inspections, it is very likely too late, the bloody clashes date back two decades. Some witnesses have committed suicide or died under unexplained circumstances. Who is still alive, is likely to hold for two reasons the mouth: The fear of a statement against the strong men of Kosovo is still large, and some witnesses are now of the opinion that it is unpatriotic to let the leaders of the country run into the knife. In a Patriarchal and numerically small society, it is not easy to guarantee witness anonymity.

enlarge map

According to human rights learning in 1648, people in Kosovo are considered to be missing. Of these, about 500 Serbs and Roma. Many of them were immediately deported after the war, in the summer of 1999 to the North of Albania and in warehouses and barracks locked up. There is the trace of the victims is lost. To conquer the Power as quickly as possible, decide to eliminate the UCK-commander of their own country people, including followers of the pacifist President Ibrahim Rugova.

Public has responded amazingly left

The Serbian human rights activist Natasa Kandic, the documented for years, the war crimes of the Belgrade troops from Kosovo Albanians meticulously, accuses the EU and the USA, they would have looked the other way, as shortly after the war in Kosovo Serbs and Roma abducted. For a very long time, the kosovo looked away-Albanian society. The ruling Clique used as a history image in which the Kosovo appeared to Albanians as victims.

According to the latest subpoenas from The Hague, the General Public reacts in Kosovo amazing left. There are neither street protests nor indignation waves in the social media, where half the country felt to spend the day. The former heroes are perceived today only as a raider in the fine yarn. You hardly anyone will shed a tear when the first aircraft of Pristina stands out to Holland.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 10.01.2019, 20:02 PM