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The Supreme Court in The Hague rejects the request for reduction of sentence of former KLA commander Sali Mustafa

2025-02-26 16:54:21 / KOSOVA ALFA PRESS

The Supreme Court in The Hague rejects the request for reduction of sentence of

The Supreme Court panel at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague has rejected the request of former Kosovo Liberation Army commander Sali Mustafa for a reduction of his sentence from 15 years in prison.

This panel – composed of the President of the Specialized Court, Ekaterina Trendafilova, and judges Christine van den Wyngaert and Daniel Fransen – also rejected the Specialized Prosecutor's Office's appeal against last year's Appeals Court decision.

"The panel found that Mustafa failed to identify how the 15-year sentence constituted a violation of criminal law," the published decision states.

Initially, in December 2022, Mustafa was sentenced to 26 years in prison for war crimes for unlawful killings, arbitrary detention, and torture. In December 2023, the Court of Appeal reduced his sentence to 22 years in prison.

But, later, on September 10, 2024, it was said that the Appeals Court Panel imposed a unified sentence of 15 years imprisonment on Mustafa "including the time in pre-trial detention."

"The decision followed the guidelines of the Supreme Court Panel's decision of July 29, 2024, regarding Mr. Mustafa's request for protection of legality, which annulled Mr. Mustafa's sentence of 22 years in prison and referred the case back to the Appeals Panel," the announcement said.

Mustafa was arrested and then transferred to the Specialist Chambers detention unit on September 24, 2020.

The trial began on September 15, 2021, and 29 witnesses participated in it – 14 from the Specialized Prosecutor's Office and 15 from the defense. During the trial, eight victims also gave their testimonies.

Mustafa is the first person to be convicted by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague – also known as the Special Court – on charges related to war crimes.

In July of this year, the Court also sentenced Pjetër Shala to 18 years in prison for war crimes.

In addition to Mustafa and Shala, also accused of war crimes are former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, former head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Kadri Veseli, former member of the KLA General Staff, Rexhep Selimi, and former KLA spokesman, Jakup Krasniqi.

Their trial is continuing, and it was recently announced that the last witnesses called by prosecutors will testify by April 4th.

Previously, the Specialist Chambers in The Hague convicted the former heads of the KLA Veterans' Organization, Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj, for obstruction of justice, but were later released on bail.

The Special Court investigates crimes allegedly committed by former KLA members against ethnic minorities and political rivals between January 1998 and December 2000. It is based in The Hague, Netherlands, but operates under Kosovo law./ REL

 

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