
Today, the Special Court in The Hague is expected to announce the verdict for Salih Mustafa, former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Where will be the first decision of this institution regarding the investigations for war crimes in Kosovo.
Earlier, at this institution, Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj were convicted for obstructing the administration of justice.
Mustafa is accused of arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful killing. These crimes are suspected to have been committed in the detention complex in Zllash in Kosovo, in April 1999. Mustafa himself has pleaded not guilty until, in one case, he considered the court a "Gestapo office", a reference to the secret police service at the time Nazi Germany.
According to the indictment, Salih Mustafa, also known as 'commander Cali', was the commander of the BIA guerrilla unit ('BIA unit'), a unit within the Llap Operational Area of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
His trial is the first trial for war crimes that has started in the Special Court.
This court investigates alleged crimes by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army against ethnic minorities and political rivals in the period January 1998 - December 2000. The court is based in The Hague, Netherlands, but operates under the laws of Kosovo.
Mustafa was arrested and then transferred to the detention unit of the Special Court on September 24, 2020. The trial started on September 15, 2021 and 29 witnesses participated in it - 14 from the Specialized Prosecutor's Office and 15 of protection. It also includes eight victims who have given their testimonies.