The President of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC), Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova, on 19 February 2025, decided to modify the sentences for Messrs Sabit Januzi and Ismet Bahtijari and provide for their release on 21 February 2025, under the conditions set forth in the decisions. These conditions will continue to apply for the duration of the sentences imposed by the Trial Panel, namely for the remainder of the two years sentence imposed on each of them.
In coming to her decision, the President consulted the Judges of the sentencing Panel as provided for in Article 51(2) of the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (“Law”) and took into consideration the factors set forth in Rule 196(3) of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence.
The President considered that while the offences for which Messrs Januzi and Bahtijari were convicted are indisputably grave given the impact of witness intimidation on the administration of justice, there were several factors that weighed in favour of modification of their sentences.
The President’s decisions, which are the third and fourth decisions on commutation, modification or alteration of a sentence, can be found here on the KSC’s website (Januzi; Bahtijari).
Proceedings related to the commutation, modification or alteration of a sentence as provided for in Article 51(2) of the Law are individual proceedings. When a convicted person has served two-thirds of a sentence, he or she becomes eligible for consideration of commutation, modification or alteration of the sentence, but does not have the right to the sentence being commuted, modified or altered.