HLC: Belgrade Court Aquits Ethnic Albanian Students
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1999 11:36:56 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: HLC: Belgrade Court Aquits Ethnic Albanian Students
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Greek Helsinki Monitor <[email protected]>
HLC: Belgrade Court Aquits Ethnic Albanian Students
Humanitarian Law Center Communique
Belgrade Court Aquits Ethnic Albanian Students
27 October 1999
The trial of one of two groups of Kosovo Albanian students before the
Belgrade District Court ended with their acquittal of the charge of
conspiring to commit acts of terrorism. The university students were
arrested in Belgrade on 13 May this year during the NATO military
intervention.
The panel, presided by Judge Zoran Savic, found that the prosecution
had failed to present evidence to prove that the defendants had
conspired to commit acts of terrorism, and aquitted Bekim and Safet
Bljakaj, brothers from Kovrace village near Istok, Edon Hajrulagini
from Prizren, and Luid Ndou from Djakovica.
The Court's ruling sets a positive precedent in domestic judicial
practice as it is the first to aquit Kosovo Albanians indicted of
terrorism for lack of evidence. The defendants were, however, found
guilty on other counts and sentenced to terms of imprisonment.
Bekim Bljakaj, the chief defendant, was sentenced to 12 months for
illegal possession of ammunition, falsifying official documents and
illegal trafficking in medicines. He was remanded in custody until the
sentence becomes final.
Safet Bljakaj, Edon Hajrulagini, and Luid Ndou were found guilty of
illegal trafficking in medicines and sentenced to five months and 13
days. Since they had spent this time in confinement awaiting trial,
the Court released them.
During the trial, the defendants described in detail the torture they
were subjected to during police detention to extract confessions to
the criminal offenses they were charged with.
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