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By:
Ardit Kika
- August 15, 2024 21:13
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Until his escape on Thursday, the leader of the KLA Veterans Organization, Faton Klinaku, congratulated him, who in a post on Facebook accused the Macedonian state of implementing the orders of the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, in North Macedonia. state actors have exchanged accusations against each other, while in Serbia they have accused the Macedonian judiciary
The escape of the former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Blerim Ramadani, from house arrest, a measure imposed on him by the justice system in Skopje after his arrest in the month of gone, based on an arrest warrant issued by Serbia.
Ramadani was arrested on July 17 at the Jazhinca border crossing, between Kosovo and North Macedonia, after the Court in Belgrade accused him of war crimes.
His escape on Thursday was congratulated by the leader of the KLA Veterans Organization, Faton Klinaku, who in a post on Facebook accused the Macedonian state of implementing the orders of the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.
"The artificial state of Macedonia has issued an arrest warrant against him, because he wants to carry out Vucic's orders. This government that came to Macedonia, which unfortunately was helped by Kurti in the name of change, is persecuting the veterans of the KLA war. But let them understand that if this policy of persecuting Albanians continues, they will be responsible for any escalation of the situation", he wrote.
In North Macedonia, state actors have exchanged accusations against each other, while in Serbia they have accused the Macedonian judiciary.
Ivica Dacic, Minister of the Interior of Serbia, has called Ramadan's escape scandalous, as he has asked official Skopje for clarifications regarding his escape.
"He is a member of the KLA, who has committed crimes against Serbs in Kosovo, whom Serbia is looking for in order to face the trial", he said, based on an announcement by the Ministry of the Interior of Serbia.
And in North Macedonia, the Minister of the Interior, Pançe Toshkovski, has accused the judiciary of the case.
"In the case of Blerim Ramadani's escape, the question should be why the court decided to place him under house arrest instead of effective detention. I know educated lawyers in the SDSM who understand the separation of powers and know that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the court are different institutions, but it is unfortunate that the Presidency of the SDSM and their public relations department ignore them these facts and accuse to gain a few political points", wrote Toshkoski on Facebook.
Arben Taravari, who represents the VLEN coalition, has expressed the position that Ramadan should have been released from the beginning.
"I know that Blerim Ramadani was supposed to be released from the first day, but unfortunately a prosecutor from Kîçovo did not allow that opportunity to be released that day and complicated the situation. Further, I don't know what happened, but I believe that the relevant institutions will provide information", said Taravari in a press conference during an inauguration at the Tetova Hospital.
In DUI, this Albanian opposition subject in North Macedonia has blamed the VLEN coalition for undoing the achievements of Albanian politics, allowing the arrest of KLA members.
"Every day the humiliation is deepening and not a single day passes without a decade-long scandal. For only 50 days of government without legitimacy, VasaLENi undid all the national achievements and recently by humiliating the former soldiers of the KLA by direct order from Vuçiqi and Serbia", says a reaction of this entity.
In DUI, accusations have also been directed against Prime Minister Hristian Mickoski, who during the day declared that exponents of the former power "are trying to provoke ethnic conflict". The head of DUI, Ali Ahmeti, has raised concerns with the head of the EU mission in North Macedonia, David Geer, blaming Mickoski for trying to stage inter-ethnic irritation.
In the case of Ramadan, a Macedonian court decided on August 1st that he be kept under house arrest at an address in Skopje, where he would have to stay until August 16th.
The authorities of Serbia, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo (MPJD), have accused Ramadani of having committed war crimes in the region of Nerodima in the summer of 1999. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ramadani was a member of the Operative Zone of Nerodimes of the KLA. Daçiqi requested his extradition to Serbia during a visit to the Tabanovci border crossing on July 25.
The issue of extradition was also raised during the visit of the Minister of Interior of Kosovo, Xhelal Sveçla, to Skopje on July 31. He had stated that the official Skopje should decide independently on this issue and accused Serbia of wanting to disrupt the relations between the Western Balkan states.
Finally, the authorities in Serbia have arrested four more citizens of Kosovo, whom Belgrade has accused of war crimes. The authorities in Kosovo have described as arbitrary and unjust the arrest of Kosovar citizens in Serbia for these charges and have requested the help of the international factor for their release.
At the beginning of July, the Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, through a letter sent to her Serbian counterpart, requested the transfer of Kosovo citizens who are being held in Serbia. Haxhiu has stated that Serbia will hardly respond to the request of the Kosovar authorities for extradition, due to the ongoing legal non-cooperation.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti has stated that Kosovo has internationally recognized jurisdiction over the treatment of crimes committed within its territory. Serbia, in its national strategy for the years 2021-2026 for the prosecution of war crimes, has claimed that it has jurisdiction to bring justice to crimes committed during armed conflicts in the 90s.
Kosovo and Serbia reached an Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in 2013, with the mediation of the European Union (EU), but there has been almost no cooperation between them in cases of war crimes.
