As the trial of former KLA leaders nears its end, the panel of the Specialist Chambers in The Hague has rejected a request from the defense of former President Hashim Thaçi. The request to add former KLA Chief of General Staff Bislim Zyrapi to the list of witnesses for Thaçi's defense was rejected by the panel, although the Court, headed by Charles Smith, ruled that Zyrapi's five previous statements be admitted into evidence.
"The five statements are statements within the meaning of Rules 153-155 and therefore their admission is subject to the specific requirements set out in those rules. Furthermore, the five statements contain information that serves as evidence of the actions and conduct of the accused as charged in the indictment and relate to central issues in the Prosecution's case," the Special Counsel states.
Meanwhile, one of the witnesses in the court case against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selim has admitted that he had exaggerated the torture he claimed was inflicted on him, in order to be recognized as a participating victim in the process.
The 35th witness under questioning is the one who, until then, was a protected witness of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office.
During his testimony, Rexhep Selim's defense pointed out inconsistencies in the witness's statements regarding the time of the beatings and the manner in which he claimed to have been beaten.
But after these questions, the witness himself admitted that he had exaggerated some parts of his testimony.
Regarding this, in a response given to RTK, the spokesperson for the Special Court, Michael Doyle, said that for now they cannot comment on the testimony of any witness.
"At this stage we cannot comment on the testimony of any witness. Only at the end of the trial will the Trial Panel assess each piece of evidence, including witness statements, in light of all the evidentiary material received. In determining the weight to be given to a witness's testimony, they will assess the witness's credibility and the consistency of his/her testimony," Doyle's response states.
But, according to those who have followed the trial in The Hague from the beginning, the possibility of other cases like this cannot be ruled out.
"It is not excluded that in many cases, for various reasons, and in this case, if I am not mistaken, it is about gaining victim status, which then brings a kind of reparation after the end of the trial, the witness has accused the accused of criminal offenses against him, more than was the truth," said Bekim Blakaj from the Humanitarian Law Center.
Former American NATO general Wesley Clark was the last defense witness to give his testimony in the trial of former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army in The Hague.
