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On 20 July 2007, Ramush Haradinaj's application for provisional release during the summer court recess was denied. He was granted a second exceptional provisional release over the Christmas court recess. The trial chamber rendered its decision on 3 April 2008; not guilty. Defenders of Haradinaj, Balaj and Brahimaj have not taken a single witness of the defence to the stand considering that unnecessary. The prosecution was unable to bring to the courtroom three planned witnesses. One of them was committed to a mental health institution at the time he was called to testify. Another, Shefqet Kabashi, refused to testify citing the OTP's failure to live up to the conditions set for his testimony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/icty/haradinaj/trialc/judgement/tcj080403e.pdf|title=Icty - Tpiy|publisher=UN|date=5 March 2007|accessdate=29 November 2012}}</ref> Haradinaj's full acquittal, however, was palled by whispers that witnesses had been intimidated. In fact, during the first trial two witnesses failed to attend and it was feared their evidence could have been determinative to the outcome.
On 20 July 2007, Ramush Haradinaj's application for provisional release during the summer court recess was denied. He was granted a second exceptional provisional release over the Christmas court recess. The trial chamber rendered its decision on 3 April 2008; not guilty. Defenders of Haradinaj, Balaj and Brahimaj have not taken a single witness of the defence to the stand considering that unnecessary. The prosecution was unable to bring to the courtroom three planned witnesses. One of them was committed to a mental health institution at the time he was called to testify. Another, Shefqet Kabashi, refused to testify citing the OTP's failure to live up to the conditions set for his testimony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/icty/haradinaj/trialc/judgement/tcj080403e.pdf|title=Icty - Tpiy|publisher=UN|date=5 March 2007|accessdate=29 November 2012}}</ref> Haradinaj's full acquittal, however, was palled by whispers that witnesses had been intimidated. In fact, during the first trial two witnesses failed to attend and it was feared their evidence could have been determinative to the outcome.


In the process lacked the evidence because several witnesses to testify against Haradinaj, was murdere. This pulled back his testimony, however, after he survived an assassination attempt just yet. The remaining nine witnesses were: Kujtim Berisha, who crossed in [[Montenegro]] by a Jeep,<ref name="Un euro para Ramush">{{cite web|author=|url=http://www.publico.es/internacional/67308/un-euro-para-ramush|title=Un euro para Ramush|publisher=The [[Público (Spain)|Público]]|accessdate=5 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=|url=http://derstandard.at/2772061|title=Kronzeuge im Haradinaj-Prozess ermordet|publisher=[[Der Standard]]|accessdate=28 January 2013}}</ref><ref name="The Pravda">{{cite web|author=|url=http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/conflicts/10-10-2011/119283-albanian_witnesses-0/|title=Hague: Key Albanian war crimes witnesses murdered|publisher=The [[Pravda]]|accessdate=28 January 2013}}</ref> Ilir Selmaj, who was after a bar fight mortally wounded with a knife,<ref name="Un euro para Ramush"/><ref name="The Pravda"/> Bekim Mustafa and Avni Elezaj was shot,<ref name="Un euro para Ramush"/><ref name="The Pravda"/> the heavily protected witnesses Xhejdin Musta, Sadrik Murici and Vesel Murici was killed by professionally organized bombings,<ref name="The Pravda"/> and Tava Sabaheta and Isuk Haklaj, the former officer of the [[Kosovo Police]], who was kiled by an gun attack.<ref name="Un euro para Ramush"/><ref name="The Pravda"/> However, according to the prosecution of war crimes, in the period since 2001 until 2007 were killed: Ilir Seljimaj, Smailji Hajdaraj, Bekim Mustafa, Avni Eljezaj, Tahir Zemaj, Sabah Toljaj, Isuf Hakljaj, Sadik Musaj, Ismet Musaj, Sinan Musaj, Dželjadin Musaj, Murici Sadik, Veselj Murici and Kujtim Berisha, of which Sadik, Bliss and Murici were protected witnesses.<ref name="The Pravda"/> The International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague rejected that statement and claimed no witnesses were murdered. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sense-agency.com/icty.29.html?news_id=14436%7C|title=Serbian Prosecutor's allegations surprise OTP|Publisher=Sense|date=28 November 2012|accessdate=30 January 2013}}</ref><ref name="Belgrade Reaction to Haradinaj">{{cite web |url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/crimes-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=04&dd=10&nav_id=49272 |title=Belgrade Reaction to Haradinaj Acquittal Concerning |publisher=B92|date=10 April 2010|deadurl=no |accessdate=30 January 2013}}</ref> The co-defendant Lahi Brahimaj was sentenced to six years in prison.
The Serbian war crimes prosecutor made a statement to the press claiming that in the period since 2001 until 2007 a number of witnesses were killed. The names he listed included: Ilir Seljimaj, Smailji Hajdaraj, Bekim Mustafa, Avni Eljezaj, Tahir Zemaj, Sabah Toljaj, Isuf Hakljaj, Sadik Musaj, Ismet Musaj, Sinan Musaj, Dželjadin Musaj, Murici Sadik, Veselj Murici and Kujtim Berisha, of which Sadik,and Veselj Murici were protected witnesses.<ref name="The Pravda"/> Responding to this allegation, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague specifically rejected that statement, calling it a politicization of the court and claimed no ICTY witnesses were murdered during Haradinaj's Trial. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sense-agency.com/icty.29.html?news_id=14436%7C|title=Serbian Prosecutor's allegations surprise OTP|Publisher=Sense|date=28 November 2012|accessdate=30 January 2013}}</ref><ref name="Belgrade Reaction to Haradinaj">{{cite web |url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/crimes-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=04&dd=10&nav_id=49272 |title=Belgrade Reaction to Haradinaj Acquittal Concerning |publisher=B92|date=10 April 2010|deadurl=no |accessdate=30 January 2013}}</ref> In The co-defendant Lahi Brahimaj was sentenced to six years in prison.


The judges addressed the atmosphere of intimidation that surrounded the trial directly and noted: "the Chamber encountered significant difficulties in securing the testimony of a large number of these witnesses. Many cited fear as a prominent reason for not wishing to appear before the Chamber to give evidence. In this regard, the Chamber gained a strong impression that the trial was being held in an atmosphere where witnesses felt unsafe, due to a number of factors set out in the Judgement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2008/pr1232e-summary.htm|title=Icty - Tpiy|publisher=UN|date=5 March 2007|accessdate=29 November 2012}}</ref>
The judges addressed the atmosphere of intimidation that surrounded the trial directly and noted: "the Chamber encountered significant difficulties in securing the testimony of a large number of these witnesses. Many cited fear as a prominent reason for not wishing to appear before the Chamber to give evidence. In this regard, the Chamber gained a strong impression that the trial was being held in an atmosphere where witnesses felt unsafe, due to a number of factors set out in the Judgement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2008/pr1232e-summary.htm|title=Icty - Tpiy|publisher=UN|date=5 March 2007|accessdate=29 November 2012}}</ref>

Revision as of 16:26, 31 January 2013

Ramush Haradinaj
4th Prime Minister of Kosovo
In office
3 December 2004 – March 2005
Preceded byBajram Rexhepi
Succeeded byBajram Kosumi
Personal details
Born (1968-07-03) 3 July 1968 (age 56)
Glođane, Yugoslavia
Political partyAAK

Ramush Haradinaj[a] (born 3 July 1968) is a Kosovo-Albanian politician,[1] a former officer and leader of the paramilitary organization UÇK, and the former prime minister of the disputed Kosovo. He leads the AAK party.

Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia and internal warfare, Haradinaj was among former UÇK officers charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) with war crimes and crimes against humanity against Serbs, Roma and Albanians before and during the 1999 Kosovo War. He was acquitted of all charges on 3 April 2008.[2] The prosecution appeal in 2010, based on intimidation of many witnesses, led to a partial retrial in The Hague, Netherlands.[3][4] Various media outlets reported that potential witnesses were murdered during the trial process but the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague has denied such claims. The international court found that many of the crimes described by the prosecution had taken place, but concluded that the prosecution had not provided sufficient "direct evidence" to prove Haradinaj′s participation.[5] On 29 November 2012, Haradinaj and his co-defendant were acquitted again on all charges, on lack of evidence.[6]

Early life and war years

Haradinaj was born on 3 July 1968, as second of nine children, in the village of Glođane, near Dečani, in the Serbian province of Kosovo. He spent his youth in his native village with his parents and siblings, and completed primary school in Rznici and secondary school in Dečani and Đakovica.[citation needed] After graduating from high school in 1987, he did his mandatory military service in the Yugoslav Peoples Army, where he later be promoted to platoon commander. After the Kosovo War, Haradinaj attended law school at the University of Pristina.[7] Haradinaj also earned a Master's degree in business from the American University of Kosovo, which is associated with the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York state.[citation needed]

Interim years

In 1989, using a false name, Haradinaj emigrated to Lucerne, Switzerland. He worked there for eight years as a construction worker, security guard, and a bouncer in a nightclub.[7] As the Soviet Union dealt with new internal challenges, movements for independence began to form among many of the ethnicities of the Balkans and other states. In Switzerland, Haradinaj joined the separatist National Movement of Kosovo, from which the UÇK originated. It wanted to leave Yugoslavia to achieve an independent Kosovo. In 1998, Haradinaj returned to his hometown of Glodjane in Kosovo.[8]

Kosovo War

After Haradinaj's return to Kosovo in February 1998, the conflict in Kosovo erupted. According to the ICTY indictment against Fatmir Limaj, Haradin Bala and Isak Musliu, between 28 February and 5 March, government forces launched an offensive against UÇK-held villages of Likošane, Cirez, and Prekaze. On March 24, they surrounded the village of Glodjane and commenced their operation.[9][10] The local people used the defenses of their home village to good effect and under the leadership of Haradinaj, they successfully repelled the attack. Haradinaj gained a leadership position in the UÇK in Western Kosovo. By May 1998 he was regarded as commander of Glodjane and surrounding villages, and by June 1998 he became commander of the Dukagjin Operational Zone (in Metohija).[citation needed] Western Kosovo's proximity to Albania provided a corridor through which the UÇK could procure weapons. Haradinaj established himself as a commander during heavy fighting in his area.[citation needed]

In September 1998, some months later, the bodies of 39 people were found near Glodjane, some of them bearing evidence of having been tied and tortured. The victims were local people, of both Albanian and Serbian ethnicities. The discovery of their bodies led to public accusations of war crimes against Haradinaj and his group.[11]

From soldier to politician

File:Haradinaj.jpg
Haradinaj's poster at the headquarters of AAK

After demilitarization of the UÇK following NATO's entry into Kosovo in 1999, the UÇK was transformed into the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC). In this new force, Haradinaj was appointed as a deputy commander, under Agim Çeku.

He retired from the KPC on 11 April 2000, and announced that he was entering politics. With support from the former communist leader Mahmut Bakalli, Haradinaj founded the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), on 29 April 2000. He was elected president of the party.

Some former UÇK supporters had hoped to see Haradinaj enter a political alliance with Hashim Thaçi, the political leader of the UÇK. By 2000 Thaçi led the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). They formed the chief opposition to the Ibrahim Rugova-led Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), which had been opposed to the UÇK. Haradinaj said he had formed a new party to create a new paradigm for the future of democratic politics in Kosovo, to leave wartime divisions behind.[citation needed]

Haradinaj enjoyed limited electoral success up to and including the elections of 2004.[citation needed] Following the Kosovo elections of October 2004, he entered into coalition talks with the LDK, led by Dr. Rugova, then President of Kosovo. Rugova formed a government and nominated Haradinaj as Prime Minister. In the Kosovo Assembly, Haradinaj’s candidacy for Prime Minister won the support of 72 members out of 120, with only three opposing.

Some observers considered Haradinaj’s coalition with the Rugova-led LDK to be a reconciliation of the animosities of the war and immediate post-war periods.[citation needed] The PDK opposed the coalition. Haradinaj appeared to form a close and productive working relationship with Ibrahim Rugova and other senior figures in the LDK.

In February 2009 the Ugandan Rebel Group "Allied Democratic Forces," a Muslim group, asked Haradinaj to mediate peace talks with the central government in Kampala.[12]

On 10 November 2012 Albanian President, Bujar Nishani decorated Haradinaj with the Skanderbeg's Order.[13]

Trial for war crimes at ICTY

First trial

Haradinaj served 100 days as Prime Minister in 2005 before being indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), at The Hague. The indictment alleges that Haradinaj, as a commander of the UÇK, committed crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war between March and September 1998, the alleged purpose of which was to exert control over territory, targeting both Serb, Albanian, and Romani civilians.[14] He was acquitted on 3 April 2008, because of lack of convincing evidence.

When the ICTY indictment was issued in March 2005, Haradinaj chose to step down immediately from his position as Prime Minister. The following day he travelled voluntarily to The Hague where he submitted himself to the custody of the court and remained for two months until he was granted provisional release pending trial. The head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) during this time, Søren Jessen-Petersen, welcomed the decision Haradinaj to face the tribunal voluntarily, praised his work and described Haradinaj as a "close partner and friend", regardless Western intelligence reports that Haradinaj was a key figure in the range between organized crime and politics.[15] Citing Mr. Haradinaj's compliance with the ICTY and the fact that he posed no risk of flight and no risk towards witnesses, the Trial Chamber of the ICTY extended his provisional release and allowed him to wait for trial in his hometown of Prishtina.[16] Further, the Appeals Chamber later granted Haradinaj the unprecedented right for an indictee to engage in public political activity. Such activity was, however, subject to the approval of UNMIK.[17] This step was unprecedented in the history of international criminal law and seen as a reflection of the fact that Mr. Haradinaj voluntarily submitted himself to the court. Critics (and the prosecution) however, argued that this went too far. The Prosecution argued that although Mr. Haradinaj posed no threat to witnesses, his mere presence in Kosovo could have a “chilling” effect on whether witnesses would testify.[16]

On 26 February 2007 Haradinaj was flown back to Hague so that the trial could proceed. In the previous days he held meetings with Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu, Prime Minister Agim Çeku, the head of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, Joachim Rücker, and various diplomatic offices. At a news conference he urged the public to remain calm and was steadfast in his belief that the trial would result in a full acquittal.[18][19][20]

The longtime Chief Prosecutor of International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Carla Del Ponte, has remained steadfastly unimpressed by the international support for Haradinaj, continuing to make strongly negative statements about him. She told the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that "according to the decision to provisionally release him, he is a stability factor for Kosovo. I never understood this. For me he is a war criminal."[21]

The trial, which was enforced by Carla Del Ponte,[22] began on 5 March 2007 and Haradinaj’s defence team was led by Queen's Counsel Ben Emmerson, an international human rights lawyer, who had supporting counsel in Rodney Dixon, also of Matrix Chambers of London. The legal defence team as a whole was coordinated by Irish political consultant and financier Michael O'Reilly. At the opening of proceedings, Carla Del Ponte pointed to the problems of the accuser. The intimidation of witnesses was a major problem in the investigation. She claimed that it was difficult to find witnesses who were willing to testify not just to the prosecutors, but also for the tribunal. "The difficulty in Kosovo was that no one helped us, neither the UN administration nor NATO."[23]

On 20 July 2007, Ramush Haradinaj's application for provisional release during the summer court recess was denied. He was granted a second exceptional provisional release over the Christmas court recess. The trial chamber rendered its decision on 3 April 2008; not guilty. Defenders of Haradinaj, Balaj and Brahimaj have not taken a single witness of the defence to the stand considering that unnecessary. The prosecution was unable to bring to the courtroom three planned witnesses. One of them was committed to a mental health institution at the time he was called to testify. Another, Shefqet Kabashi, refused to testify citing the OTP's failure to live up to the conditions set for his testimony.[24] Haradinaj's full acquittal, however, was palled by whispers that witnesses had been intimidated. In fact, during the first trial two witnesses failed to attend and it was feared their evidence could have been determinative to the outcome.

The Serbian war crimes prosecutor made a statement to the press claiming that in the period since 2001 until 2007 a number of witnesses were killed. The names he listed included: Ilir Seljimaj, Smailji Hajdaraj, Bekim Mustafa, Avni Eljezaj, Tahir Zemaj, Sabah Toljaj, Isuf Hakljaj, Sadik Musaj, Ismet Musaj, Sinan Musaj, Dželjadin Musaj, Murici Sadik, Veselj Murici and Kujtim Berisha, of which Sadik,and Veselj Murici were protected witnesses.[25] Responding to this allegation, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague specifically rejected that statement, calling it a politicization of the court and claimed no ICTY witnesses were murdered during Haradinaj's Trial. [26][27] In The co-defendant Lahi Brahimaj was sentenced to six years in prison.

The judges addressed the atmosphere of intimidation that surrounded the trial directly and noted: "the Chamber encountered significant difficulties in securing the testimony of a large number of these witnesses. Many cited fear as a prominent reason for not wishing to appear before the Chamber to give evidence. In this regard, the Chamber gained a strong impression that the trial was being held in an atmosphere where witnesses felt unsafe, due to a number of factors set out in the Judgement.[28]

Witness Intimidation

Because witness intimidation had been such an important issue during the initial trial, witness protection was a prominent feature in both trials. During both trial the Prosecution took great pains to protect the identity of witnesses called to testify. This often included, voice modification, pseudonyms, and in some cases witness relocation. During the retrial,the Court took the extraordinary measure of moving the entire court to an undisclosed secret location in order to secure the testimony of a protected witness.[29][30] These efforts paid off.

Despite sensation claims[31] from Serbia, no witnesses were murdered during either trial.[29] The judgments of each trial chamber make this absolutely clear and can be found at the ICTY's website: www.icty.org. There was some confusion over this point because during the first trial, 97 witnesses were called by the Prosecution to testify against Mr. Haradinaj; however,two did not testify (see above) and one witness died shortly before trial. His name was Kujtim Berisha and his death has been used as evidence that witnesses were killed.

Kujtim Berisha, was killed on 18 February 2007 in a drunk driving car accident in Podgorica, Montenegro. This accident was thoroughly investigated by Monetnegrin authorities who found that the perpetrator was a 67-year old Montenegrin Serb named Aleksandar Ristović. Ristović drove his car into Berisha and two other men while under the influence of alcohol. The Montenegrin daily Vijesti states that police 'confirmed that at the moment of accident Ristović was drunk—driving at a very high speed'.[32]

The ICTY Tribunal confirmed this noting: "The (ICTY) tribunal noted that Kujtim Berisha was "'the only person [who died] who was planned to be called as a witness in the Haradinaj et al. trial.' He died in a 2007 car accident in Podgorica. Montenegrin investigators found 'no evidence that the accident was staged'".[33]

Sensationalist media have written that as many as nineteen people who were supposed to be witnesses in the trial against Haradinaj were murdered[34] this allegation has been specifically addressed by the ICTY on numerous occasions. (see below)

The first time the ICTY formally refuted this rumor was shortly after the initial trial. Serbian media claimed that Mr. Haradinaj's acquittal was based on the 'mafia style killing of witnesses.' The ICTY Spokeswoman in Serbia, Nerma Jelačić emphatically stated that these allegations were untrue and served only to politicize the work of the court.[27] Her statement was later echoed and reaffirmed by the ICTY Trial Chamber itself which commented that no witnesses in the protected witness program were killed during the initial trial.[33]

This did not stop the Serbian war crimes Prosecutor from spreading the rumor that witnesses had been murdered. He made the claim again in 2011.[35] This time he named the individuals who were allegedly murdered. This became a something of an embarrassment when two of the “victims” (Sadik and Vesel Muriqi) turned out to still be alive.[36][37] In fact none of the names on the list were witnesses in the ICTY trial against Mr. Haradinaj except one. That one individual was Kujtim Berisha (see above).

These types of inflammatory comments prompted the Office of the Prosecution, to go on record again to say that there were no witnesses murdered during either trial.[34]

Second Trial

The second trial began in 2011 in front of a second Trial Chamber made up of three different judges. Mr. Haradinaj was represented again by Ben Emmerson Q.C, Mr. Rodney Dixon. The Prosecution called 56 witnesses against Mr. Haradinaj and again Mr. Haradinaj called no defence witness.

On November 29, 2012 Ramush Haradinaj was acquitted a second time.[38] This time, due to the extreme diligence of the court and of the parties there was no allegation of witness intimidation. Instead the judges found that not only was there no evidence to convict Mr. Haradinaj, the Court held that the evidence established that he had acted to prevent criminal behaviour where he could.[39]

The central allegation against Mr. Haradinaj was that he participated in a criminal plan to persecute civilians. The Court directly addressed this allegation and stated in its summary of the judgment that:

"Even if the existence of such common plan were established, which is not the finding of the Chamber, there is nothing in the evidence to indicate that Ramush Haradinaj or Idriz Balaj may have been involved in any such common plan. On the contrary, the evidence establishes that when Ramush Haradinaj found out about the detention and mistreatment of Skender Kuçi, he went to Jabllanicë/Jablanica to speak to Nazmi Brahimaj regarding Skender Kuçi’s release, telling him that “no such thing should happen anymore because this is damaging our cause”. When Witness 3 was brought to Ramush Haradinaj after his escape from Jabllanicë/Jablanica and subsequent apprehension by Lahi Brahimaj, Ramush Haradinaj offered food and accommodation to Witness 3 and released him to his family. No credible evidence has been presented by the Prosecution to establish that Ramush Haradinaj was even aware of the crimes committed at the KLA compound in Jabllanicë/Jablanica."

After this ruling, there were serious questions raised as to why Mr. Haradinaj was ever indicted in the first place. Indeed, a former Director of Public Prosecutions, Lord Madonald of River Glaven QC, said yesterday: "This prosecution was a stupid attempt to equate resistance with aggression. It was an embarrassment to the international community."[40] The governments of both Albania and Kosovo have demanded a public inquiry into the behavior of the Chief Prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte over her conduct to bring this indictment forward.[41]

Geoffrey Nice, the ICTY prosecutor in the Milošević case, wrote in a column in Koha Ditore that at least three experienced prosecution lawyers advised Del Ponte against indicting Ramush Haradinaj since it could not be proved he was guilty.[42] One of those lawyers was Andrew T Cayley Q.C. one of the most esteemed lawyers at the Tribunal and currently the Chief Prosecutor at the Cambodian Tribunal. He stated that he felt increasing pressure to bring the case despite an acute lack of evidence.[40] Sir Geoffrey Nice Q.C. commented that the pressure to bring the case against Ramush Haradinaj stemmed from the lead Prosecutor at the time, Carla Del Ponte and he speculated that she wanted to use the indictment against Haradinaj as a "coin" to trade with Belgrade in order to convince the Serbian Government to hand over its high profile war criminal fugitives, Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadic.[40][43][44]

After a thorough review of the initial evidence, Andrew T. Cayley Q.C. wrote to the Chief Prosecutor at the time in which he told her that the prosecution could not proceed on the evidence it had.[40] That report was immediately discarded and Cayley was reprimanded for his views.[40] As a result of the manner in which the chief prosecutor ignored Cayley's advice and pursued the indictment against Mr. Haradinaj, three senior prosecutors Geoffery Nice Q.C., Andrew T Cayley Q.C. and Mark Harmon left the office of the Prosecutor.[40]

On 25 April 2008, the ICTY officially opened indictments against Astrit Haraqija and his councilor Bajrush Morina for contempt of court in Haradinaj's case. On July 23, 2009 Astrit Haraqija was acquitted of all charges by the Appeals Chamber.[45] The Court sentenced Bajrush Morina to three months imprisonment for attempting to obstruct a witness from testifying. In rendering its sentence the court aknowledged that there were no aggravating factors that should increase the sentence,[45] The sentence did have mitigating factors, however. These included the fact that the witness Morina was convicted of intimidating stated that the conversation occurred in a "friendly atmosphere", that he never felt intimidated once felt threatened or intimidated, and that Bajrush Morina apologized to the witness immediately after speaking to him and before he was arrested.[45]

In 2009, The Trial, a feature-length documentary on Haradinaj's trial at the ICTY was produced and released.[46] The film premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2009.[47]

Controversies

Organized Crime and scandals

In 2000, Ramush Haradinaj gave a fist fight with Russian soldiers at a KFOR checkpoint and was injured.[48] According to a report of German newspaper Tagesspiegel, the soldiers had discovered a Swiss assault rifle in Haradinaj's trunk. On 7 July 2000, Haradinaj went with a few followers to the property of a rival Kosovo Albanian family.[49] There was a gunfight, hand grenades were thrown.[49] On the cause of the dispute, there are various information.[49] According the London's Institute for War & Peace Reporting wanted to know the enemy clan of the Haradinaj clan, where are the bodies of their missing relatives, and this was Ramush Haradinaj put into a rage.[49] A confidential report of 29 December 2003 by the UN news service Central Intelligence Unit (CIU), there was about drug deals.[49] Haradinaj had attacked the house because the clan had apparently been a competitor. According CIU he wanted the family to steal 60 kilograms of cocaine, which she held allegedly hiding in the house.[49] Haradinaj was wounded in the shooting and had to flee.[48] He requested KFOR support and a helicopter flew him to the U.S. Camp Bondsteel and from there he transported to U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany.[48] From there he was transferred to the U.S. military Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for further treatment.[48] UN investigators were denied access to him during that time.[48] As a consequence, U.S. officials have been accused of interfering in the UN investigation into the incident.[48] Among other things to have been removed forensic evidence from the scene of the gun battle, including bullets retrieved from walls by U.S. officials.[48]

Haradinaj's name is also often mentioned when it comes to ties between organized crime and politics.[49] The Swiss magazine Weltwoche quoted from an analysis of the German intelligence agency BND on organized crime in Kosovo of 22 February 2005.[49] It says about Haradinaj:

"The space in Deçan based on clan structure around Ramush Haradinaj and addresses the entire spectrum of criminal, political and military activities which affect the security situation throughout Kosovo. The group has about 100 members and is active in drug and arms smuggling and the trafficking of dutiable goods. They also controlled local government bodies"[49]

KFOR, so the Weltwoche continues, refer to this group in a secret report dated 10 March 2004 as "the most powerful criminal organization" of the region and Haradinaj also controls the distribution of humanitarian assistance and abused as an instrument of power.[49] According to a report of the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, which also refers to an analysis of the BND, controlled the Haradinaj clan one of the three regions of interest in organized crime in Kosovo an he is one of the main Godfathers of the Albanian mafia in this region.[50] In his capacity as a regional district commander Haradinaj himself was involved in "especially in cigarette smuggling, fuel trade and extortion".[51] His clan was involved in the smuggling of drugs to Europe and wrap his shady activities on the availability of front companies in the West.[50] One classified as secret analysis, according to KFOR he was also involved in the smuggling of weapons and stolen cars and trafficking of prostitutes.[50] Together with his brother he controlled the distribution of relief goods in Kosovo.[51]

Family and personal life

He was formerly married to a Finnish woman with whom he has a minor son, Shkëlzen. Ramush Haradinaj is currently married to the RTK news reporter Anita Haradinaj, they have three young children, two boys and one girl.

Haradinaj has five brothers. Two of them, Luan and Shkelzën, were killed as members of the UÇK during the fights with the Serbian security forces. In December 2002, Haradinaj's brother Daut sentenced by a UN court in Kosovo for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of four Kosovo Albanians, who belonged to the FARK, an armed formation of Kosovo Albanians and rivals of the UÇK, to five years in prison. Enver Haradinaj, an another brother of Ramush, was assassinated in April 2005 in a drive-by shootout in Kosovo. According to the UN security forces, there was a confrontation between rival Kosovo-Albanian clans.[52] The youngest brother Frashër was still a student as of 2007 and worked in the service of the now former Provisional Institutions of Self-Government.

His father, mother and remaining family member still reside in the family home in the community of Glodjane.

Notes

a.   ^ The Albanian spelling of the name is Ramush Haradinaj; the Serbo-Croat spelling is Ramuš Haradinaj (Рамуш Харадинај).
b.   ^ Template:Kosovo-note

References

  1. ^ "Kosovan Albanian admits killing two US airmen in Frankfurt terror attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  2. ^ Charter, David (4 April 2008). "Kosovo guerrilla leader Ramush Haradinaj is set free". The Times Online. London. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  3. ^ "Kosovos Ex-Regierungschef Haradinaj freigesprochen". Der Stern. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  4. ^ Defence, Ramush. "Re-Trial Information". RamushDefence.wordpress.com. WordPress. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  5. ^ "Den Haag spricht Haradinaj frei Ex-Premier des Kosovo". Der Tagesspiegel. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  6. ^ "Kosovo ex-premier Haradinaj acquitted in Hague retrial". Trust. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  7. ^ a b Hawton, Nick (9 March 2005). "Profile: Ramush Haradinaj". BBC News Europe. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  8. ^ "Haradinaj's career: From bouncer to prime minister". B92. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  9. ^ "Institute for War and Peace Reporting". IWPR. 2005. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
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  11. ^ [2], Times Online (UK)[dead link]
  12. ^ "Uganda Muslim rebels taps ex-Kosovo PM for peace talks". AFP. AFP. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  13. ^ Presidenti Nishani dekoron zotin Ramush Haradinaj me Urdhrin “Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu”, President of Albania, 2012-12-10 (in Albanian)
  14. ^ "The Prosecutor of the Tribunal against Ramush Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj, Lahi Brahimaj. Revised second amended indictment" (PDF). International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 11 October 2006. Retrieved 21 February 2007. [dead link]
  15. ^ . The Deutschlandfunk title=Die "Faust Gottes" vor dem UN-Tribunal http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/dasfeature/720121/http://www.icty.org/sid/8586 title=Die "Faust Gottes" vor dem UN-Tribunal. Retrieved 28 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Missing pipe in: |url= (help)
  16. ^ a b "ICTY Press Release". ICTY. Retrieved 29 January 20013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  17. ^ "ICTY Press Release". ICTY. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://www.icty.org/sid/8795" ignored (help)
  18. ^ "A Thomson Reuters Foundation Service". AlertNet. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  19. ^ "War crimes indictee Haradinaj urges stability in Kosovo". SETimes. 26 February 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  20. ^ "Child welfare system at fault?". B92. 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  21. ^ "Del Ponte – Milosevic hat mich fasziniert" (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 28 July 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2007. In der Entscheidung heißt es, er sei ein Sicherheitsfaktor für das Kosovo. Ich habe das nie verstanden. Für mich ist er ein Kriegsverbrecher.
  22. ^ "Die "Faust Gottes" vor dem UN-Tribunal". The Deutschlandfunk. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  23. ^ "Del Ponte – Milosevic hat mich fasziniert" (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 28 July 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2007. Gerade im Kosovo sei es schwer, Zeugen zu finden, die nicht nur vor den Anklägern, sondern auch vor dem Tribunal aussagen wollten. 'Die Schwierigkeit im Kosovo war, daß uns niemand geholfen hat, nicht die UN-Verwaltung und nicht die Nato'.
  24. ^ "Icty - Tpiy" (PDF). UN. 5 March 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Pravda was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ "Serbian Prosecutor's allegations surprise OTP". 28 November 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ a b "Belgrade Reaction to Haradinaj Acquittal Concerning". B92. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "Icty - Tpiy". UN. 5 March 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
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  30. ^ "Haradinaj Trial Judgment and Summary". Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ "Hague Tribunal "responsible for deaths of witnesses"". Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ "Ristović u spužu". Vijesti (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ a b "Key witness in Haradinaj trial sentenced". Southeast Europe Times. Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ a b "ICTY prosecution denies claims of murder of witnesses in Haradinaj case". Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ "Daily on witness intimidation in Haradinaj case". Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ "Reportedly "dead" witnesses in Haradinaj's case alive". Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ "Reportedly "dead" witnesses in Haradinaj's case alive". Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ www.icty.org/cases/haradinaj
  39. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/world/europe/un-court-frees-former-leader-of-kosovo.html
  40. ^ a b c d e f http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/02/ramush-haradinaj-kosovo-acquitted
  41. ^ http://www.eurasiareview.com/03122012-kosovo-and-albania-demand-inquiry-into-del-ponte/
  42. ^ "Del Ponte almost dropped charges against Milošević". B92. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  43. ^ www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/mixed-inAternational-reactions-to-haradinaj-s-acquittal
  44. ^ http://www.helsinki.org.rs/tjtribunal_t12.html
  45. ^ a b c http://www.icty.org/case/contempt_haraqija_morina/27#acjug
  46. ^ "Official Website". Headlandpictures.com. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  47. ^ Murphy, John. "Feature Documentary, The Trial". Retrieved 21 July 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ a b c d e f g "US 'covered up' for Kosovo ally". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  49. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jürgen Roth. "Rechtsstaat? Lieber nicht!". The Weltwoche. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  50. ^ a b c Andreas Förster. "BND: Kosovo-Politiker Haradinaj ist Mafia-Pate". The Berliner Zeitung. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  51. ^ a b Andreas Förster. "BND: Kosovo-Politiker Haradinaj ist Mafia-Pate". The Berliner Zeitung. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  52. ^ "Ramush Haradinaj's brother murdered". B92. Retrieved 30 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

Further reading

  • Bardh Hamzaj, A Narrative about War and Freedom, Pristina: Zëri Biblioteka Publicistike, 2000, in Albanian
  • Bardh Hamzaj, The Peace of the General: The End of War, 2007, in English
Preceded by Prime Minister of Kosovo
2004–2005 		Succeeded by

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