On 15 December 2020 at 15:00, the Initial Appearance of Nasim Haradinaj will take place in the courtroom of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in The Hague.
Nasim Haradinaj (“Mr Haradinaj”) was arrested on 25 September in Kosovo by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office and transferred to The Hague on 26 September, pursuant to an arrest warrant and transfer order issued by a Judge of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.
The indictment, as confirmed, charges Mr Haradinaj with offences against the administration of justice, namely obstruction of official persons in performing official duties, intimidation of witnesses, retaliation and violation of secrecy of proceedings. The charges contained in the confirmed indictment relate to a well-grounded suspicion that, between at least 7 and 25 September 2020, on the occasion of three press conferences and other broadcasted events, as well as through further dissemination, including by social media statements, Mr Haradinaj revealed, without authorisation, information protected under the law of the Specialist Chambers, including the identifying details of certain (potential) witnesses. He also made disparaging accusations and remarks against (potential) witnesses and repeatedly expressed his intention to undermine the Specialist Chambers. By these actions, Mr Haradinaj violated the secrecy of the proceedings, retaliated against and intimidated (potential) witnesses of the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office and, as a consequence, obstructed its work and investigations. The public redacted indictment can be read here.
The Initial Appearance of Mr. Haradinaj will be a public hearing. During an Initial Appearance the Pre-Trial Judge ensures that the rights of the Accused, including the right to legal representation, are respected, and that the Accused understands the charges against him or her. The Initial Appearance can be viewed online in Albanian, English and Serbian with a short delay at https://www.scp-ks.org/en/streaming.
The hearing can also be followed from the public gallery of the courtroom on the premises of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. In addition, the KSC has a dedicated media centre on its premises from which journalists can work and follow proceedings with a short delay.
Due to measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, seating in both the public gallery and the media centre will be very limited and pre-registration is required.
To pre-register, please send an email to [email protected] by Tuesday, 15 December 2020 at 10:00.
The email should include full name, date of birth, citizenship and passport/ID number, affiliation (e.g. general public, accredited diplomat, NGO/civil society) any other relevant details. Journalists should also provide the name of media outlet, location where you are based, as well as a scan of your press card.
We will inform you as soon as possible whether there is space available. We ask for your understanding given the limitations imposed by public health considerations in response to COVID-19.
More details about visiting the KSC, including information about COVID-19 measures, can be found here.
