Vukcevic: ICTY responsible for missing witnesses
Serbia's War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic has accused the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) that it is largely responsible for the death of 19 witnesses in the case against former Kosovo Liberation Army commander Ramus Haradinaj, whose verdict is expected on November 29.
(KosovoCompromiseStuff) Wednesday, November 28, 2012
In an interview for the Wednesday edition of Informer, Vukcevic said the witnesses' tragic fate is a result of incompetence of ICTY clerks, who "did a sloppy job."
The war crimes prosecutor also said the indictment against Haradinaj is quite weak, despite the fact Serbia had done everything to assist the Tribunal.
"They did a sloppy and unprofessional job in this case," believes the prosecutor.
He said he was referring primarily to the ICTY's work with witnesses.
"The witnesses were sensitive, especially when it came to war crimes. They need to talk about crimes which took place 20 years ago, and about events which are extremely stressful for them. They had to relive all the horrors they had been through. An experienced prosecutor and judge must keep this in mind when questioning these people. Despite this, the ICTY assigned some incompetent clerks to the case, who ruined everything," said Vukcevic.
He notes that 19 potential witnesses in the Haradinaj case were killed.
"Haradinaj's method is well known and is the same as any mafia's. First come the warnings, then attempts at bribery, then intimidation and finally murder. Well, in this case there were murders, which got the other witnesses to withdraw," Vukcevic said.
The war crimes prosecutor also said the indictment against Haradinaj is quite weak, despite the fact Serbia had done everything to assist the Tribunal.
"They did a sloppy and unprofessional job in this case," believes the prosecutor.
He said he was referring primarily to the ICTY's work with witnesses.
"The witnesses were sensitive, especially when it came to war crimes. They need to talk about crimes which took place 20 years ago, and about events which are extremely stressful for them. They had to relive all the horrors they had been through. An experienced prosecutor and judge must keep this in mind when questioning these people. Despite this, the ICTY assigned some incompetent clerks to the case, who ruined everything," said Vukcevic.
He notes that 19 potential witnesses in the Haradinaj case were killed.
"Haradinaj's method is well known and is the same as any mafia's. First come the warnings, then attempts at bribery, then intimidation and finally murder. Well, in this case there were murders, which got the other witnesses to withdraw," Vukcevic said.
