The specialized chambers in The Hague have sentenced former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Haxhi Shala, Sabit Januzi, and Ismet Bahtijari, to three and two years in prison respectively for their involvement in harassing and intimidating witnesses, as well as obstructing the ongoing trial of KLA wartime leader Hashim Thaci and his three co-defendants for war crimes committed in Kosovo and Albania during 1998-99.

Shala, who previously led the “121st KLA Brigade,” received a three-year sentence, while Januzi and Bahtijari were each sentenced to two years.

In a plea agreement with the prosecution, Šalja, Januzi, and Bahtijari admitted guilt in December of last year on two counts: “harassment of witnesses by offering gifts or other benefits” and hindering an official in the execution of their duties.

The court has also ordered the convicted individuals to pay 500 euros in witness compensation. Shala is to pay 400 euros, Januzi 100 euros, while Bahtijari has been exempted from this payment.

Januzi and Bahtijari have been in custody in The Hague since early October 2023, and Šalja since December of the same year, with this time counting towards their prison sentences.

At the age of 53, Shala, along with 57-year-old Januzi and 60-year-old Bahtijari, acknowledged in separate prosecutorial agreements that they attempted to bribe “witness 1” to prevent testimony in the trial involving Thaci and his co-defendants Kadri Veselji, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi.

Documents from the court indicate that this witness has testified against the third defendant, Selimi.

All three defendants confirmed the indictment’s claims last year, stating that Shala directed Bahtijari and then Januzi to make contact with the protected “witness 1.”

The basis of their agreement reveals that Bahtijari first met with “witness 1” on April 5, 2023, to persuade him to retract his statement.

According to the earlier indictment, Bahtijari threatened the witness, stating that if he testified, he or his son could be killed; however, this claim is not part of the plea agreement.

On Shala’s orders, Januzi approached “witness 1” a week later, on April 12, asking about his intentions, to which the witness did not provide a clear response.

Acting on Shala’s behalf, Januzi allegedly extended a bribe to the witness to withdraw his testimony, which the witness countered with a demand of “200,000 euros.”

This offer aimed at persuading the witness to withdraw is classified as “witness harassment” in the plea agreement.

Instead of accepting the bribe, the witness reported the incident to the prosecutor in The Hague.

When brought before a judge in The Hague shortly after their arrests in Kosovo in October last year, both Januzi and Bahtijari initially denied their guilt.

Šalja, arrested in Kosovo last December, also expressed not guilty before the judge in The Hague.

Since then, all three have been held in judicial custody in Scheveningen.

Chief Hague Prosecutor: Historic First Admission of Guilt by Former KLA Members

The chief prosecutor of the special court in The Hague, Kimberly West, heralded today’s convictions as a landmark acknowledgment by three ex-KLA members who admitted to witness intimidation and obstructing the trial of four former leaders from the Albanian paramilitary group accused of war crimes in Kosovo and Albania from 1998-99.

In a statement to Beta, Prosecutor West emphasized that this development is historic as it marks the first instance of defendants voluntarily admitting guilt before the Kosovo Specialized Chambers.

“This advancement is paramount for safeguarding the integrity of the proceedings within the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and represents a significant step forward in justice administration in Kosovo,” noted Prosecutor West.

She reiterated the prosecution’s commitment to delivering justice grounded in facts and law, emphasizing the necessity of prosecuting those who obstruct justice to ensure that witnesses can testify without fear of intimidation or retaliation.

The importance of this trial for defendants obstructing justice is underscored as essential for progressing in all other prosecution cases.

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