The war crimes trial against Jusuf Shujak has been postponed after the final prosecution witness, currently residing in the United Kingdom, could not be heard as planned.
Shujak is facing serious war crimes charges, including murder, forced displacement, and destruction of property. He has been on trial since February 2025, with the proceedings now approaching their final stages.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the Special Prosecution had intended to present its last witness via video link. However, technical and procedural issues prevented the testimony from taking place.
Judge Shala informed the court that efforts had been made to secure the witness’s testimony remotely, but British authorities were unable to facilitate the connection.
“We made efforts through electronic channels to create the conditions for the witness to testify via video link. We had planned to continue with this testimony today, but the British authorities informed us that they were not ready to provide the connection,” he said.
The court was further informed that British authorities have scheduled the witness’s appearance for 30 September, meaning the proceedings will be delayed by approximately three months.
In the meantime, the Special Prosecution proposed moving forward with the presentation of documentary evidence in order to avoid unnecessary delays.
Prosecutor Morina argued that although the Criminal Procedure Code generally requires witness testimony to conclude before evidence is presented, there would be no legal violation in proceeding differently in this case.
“The Code foresees that witnesses are heard first and evidence is presented afterward. However, this is a technical matter and does not constitute any substantial legal violation. We proposed four pieces of evidence that are not connected to the witness at all,” Morina stated.
Defense lawyer Pantović opposed the proposal, insisting that the witness should be heard first before any further evidence is examined.
“Let us hear the witness on September 30 and then continue with the presentation of evidence,” Pantović said.
After considering both positions, the trial panel decided that the final witness will be heard first on September 30, after which the proceedings will continue according to the normal course of the trial.
According to the indictment, Shujak is accused of committing war crimes during the 1998–1999 Kosovo war, primarily in the region of Gjakova.
