Kosovo Postpones Limaj Trial For Two Weeks

Pristina’s District Court on Tuesday postponed the main trial in the so-called "Klecka Case" for two weeks.

Limaj and nine other former Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, fighters are charged with war crimes against civilians, mainly Serbs, during the Kosovo war in 1999.

A spokesperson for the EU law mission, EULEX, told Balkan Insight that the decision was made “due to the death of the brother of one of the defendants”.

The panel of judges, chaired by British Judge Jonathan Welford-Carroll, according to EULEX, decided to allow Sabit Shala, who is currently in detention, to attend the funeral and the mourning rituals.

The court had been expected to rule on Wednesday on a defence request to postpone the trial to February or March. The defence seeks more time to prepare their case.

EULEX said Tuesday’s decision had nothing to do with the defence plea to postpone the trial, and was related only to the death of the defendant’s brother.

“That other decision [on delaying the start of the trial for months] is expected to be taken on December 1,” EULEX press office told Balkan Insight.

When the trial opened last Friday, Limaj, Nexhmi Krasniqi, Naser Shala, Enver Krasniqi, Sabit Shala, Refi Mazreku, Arben Krasniqi, Shaban Shala, Behlul Limaj and Besim Shurdhaj, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The District Court also allowed Limaj and the other defendants to attend the funeral, since several of them are related to the deceased man.

The Klecka case is the first major trial for war crimes before Kosovo's local judiciary of a top former KLA commander.

The prosecution alleges that Limaj and his wartime comrades ordered the torture and killings of at least eight prisoners, mostly Serbs, in a prison camp in 1999 in the village of Klecka, in the Drenica region of central Kosovo.