Blakaj: Lack of funds has weakened the defense of four former KLA leaders in The Hague

Bekim Blakaj of the Humanitarian Law Fund says a lack of funding has been the main challenge for the defense of four former KLA leaders in The Hague. According to him, this has led to frequent changes in the defense teams: lawyers have withdrawn during the proceedings and been replaced, further weakening the defense.

Blakaj stressed that the defense teams need financial support. He spoke on Sunday, November 1, on Klan Kosova, Zëri reports.

He also questioned the mandate of the working group preparing a strategy to support the defense teams at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. Blakaj said the group’s specific powers remain unclear, as does how it could influence judicial proceedings.

The working group was established by the Government of Kosovo. Discussions about it are taking place while the Assembly still has before it the law on the Specialist Chambers, which President Shiroka-Pula returned for reconsideration. The law has raised concerns among Kosovo’s international partners.

Meanwhile, the head of the Vetëvendosje Movement’s parliamentary group, Arbërie Nagavci, said the working group supporting the former KLA leaders’ defense at the second-instance appeal stage in The Hague would be operational by the beginning of next week.

Nagavci described the Government’s decision to establish the group as important. She said the lawmaker delegated by the Vetëvendosje Movement would be up to the task, but that no name had been decided that day. According to her, nominations would be submitted by the beginning of next week at the latest.

She also said the group should be led by Deputy Prime Minister Glauk Konjufca because of his experience, knowledge and determination to complete the mandate successfully. Nagavci said the group would be multidisciplinary and expressed confidence that its members would reach full agreement.