The Basic Court in Pristina has issued an order requiring the compulsory appearance of acting Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla, along with Vetëvendosje MPs Salih Zyba and Fitore Pacolli-Dalipi, in connection with the case of tear gas thrown in the Kosovo Assembly in March 2018.
The order, signed by Judge Sabit Sadikaj on September 18, 2025, follows their absence from the September 16 hearing without justification. The court confirmed to Betimi për Drejtësi that the Kosovo Police must execute the order and bring the defendants to the next scheduled hearing on October 31, 2025, at 10:00 AM.
In its statement, the court stressed that the defendants had been duly summoned based on prior session records but failed to appear and did not request a postponement.
The indictment against Sveçla, Zyba, Pacolli-Dalipi, and former LDK MP Drita Millaku was confirmed by the Basic Court on June 6, 2024, and later upheld by the Court of Appeals. All four pleaded not guilty at the initial hearing held on March 26, 2024.
They also faced charges of obstructing an official in the performance of duties, but Judge Sadikaj noted that this offense had reached its statute of limitations.
This case stems from opposition lawmakers’ actions in 2018, when tear gas was released in the Assembly chamber during parliamentary proceedings, a move that caused significant disruption and sparked political controversy.
