The former American diplomat, Shaun Byrnes, has completed his testimony in the trial against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi.
Byrnes began his testimony on March 25, 2024, while today was the fifth day of his testimony, “Oath of Justice” reports.
At the end of his testimony, he was questioned by Vesel’s defense regarding the latter’s role during the war in Kosovo.
The witness claimed that the only thing he knew about Vesel until March 10, 1999, was that he was a councilor in Rambuje. Shaun Byrnes, testified that he never had evidence that the defendants ordered kidnappings and that they had no command responsibility for detentions in KLA operational areas. The legal principle of command responsibility forms the basis for the criminal prosecution of the Prosecutor’s Office in this case.
After finishing the testimony, the witness thanked the trial body for the necessary break it had given him during this time, and asked to be informed if he is allowed to contact the ZPS or the defense after this period.
“Now that I have finished my testimony, I can no longer have any contact with the ZPS or with the defense in the future?”, the witness asked.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the court, Charles Smith III, told him that he cannot order him to do such a thing or not to do it and that it remains in the will of the witness what he wants to do.
In addition, today’s session is expected to continue with the hearing of the witness with code 04739.
The KLA leaders whom the prosecution claims that they have committed war crimes,are being held in trail unfairly for more than 2 years.
On April 3, 2023, the trial against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Vesel, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selim began. They have been in the detention center in The Hague since November 2020.
On the other hand, the former loyal servant and Serbian propaganda officer of the Butcher of the Balkans, Slobodan Milosevic, now in the service of Aleksandar Vucic, Millovan Drecun has claimed that “the indictment against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army before the Special Court is exclusively based on “illegal detentions” and that this is the judgment of the KLA and not of individuals”.
