19 Aug 2011

ICTY/ KABASHI

Former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Shefqet Kabashi made his initial appearance today at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague, Netherlands. ICTY

Posted at: August 19, 2011 12:48 pm

Duration: 01:06

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: ICTY / KABASHI
TRT: 1.06
SOURCE: ICTY
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: NATS

DATELINE: 19 AUGUST 2011, THE HAGUE, NEATHERLANDS

1. Various shots, court enters in session
2. Med shot, Shefqet Kabashi standing
3. Med shot, introduction of the case
4. Med shot, introduction of the prosecutor
5. Med shot, introduction of the defense
6. Med shot, judge
7. Med shot, Shefqet Kabashi confirms understands the case
8. Med shot, judge

STORYLINE:

Shefqet Kabashi's initial appearance was held today at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague, Netherlands.

A former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), he was charged with contempt of court on 5 June 2007 for having refused or failed to answer a question while testifying before the Trial Chamber in the case of Ramush Haradinaj and others.

Kabashi was transferred on Wednesday (17 Aug) to the Tribunal's custody following his arrest yesterday by the Dutch authorities.

The ICTY acquitted Haradinaj in 2008 of charges of murder, rape, torture, abduction, cruel treatment, imprisonment and the forced deportation of ethnic Serbian and Kosovar Roma civilians.

But ICTY appeals judges partially quashed the acquittal last year, ruling that a re-trial was necessary because the trial chamber had not done more to ensure the testimony of certain witnesses given "serious witness intimidation," thus depriving the prosecution of vital support for its case. The original trial had heard how many witnesses felt unsafe.

In a statement yesterday (18 August) the tribunal said Kabashi's testimony was relevant to the re-trial as it related to the alleged responsibility of Haradinaj and two co-accused, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj, on six counts of torture and murder of prisoners for crimes committed at the KLA headquarters and the prison in Jablanica/Jabllanicë.