The appeal of the Special Court will again consider the reduction of Mustafa's sentence

The panel of the Supreme Court, which functions within the framework of the Special Court, has once again returned the case of Salih Mustafa and his conviction for war crimes to the Appeal.

Mustafa, former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, was initially sentenced in December 2022, to 26 years in prison, for unlawful killing, arbitrary detention and torture.

In December 2023, the appeal reduced his sentence to 22 years in prison.

The Special Court investigates alleged crimes by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army against ethnic minorities and political rivals in the period January 1998 - December 2000.

The court is based in The Hague, Netherlands, but operates according to the laws of Kosovo.

Through a press release on July 30, the Special Court said that, after the request made by Mustafa for protection of legality, the Supreme panel returned his case to the Appeal, to consider the reduction of the sentence.

The protection of legality is a legal remedy, through which it is intended to correct any potential error in the judicial procedure.

"The panel is of the opinion that the Appeal panel should have the opportunity to assess whether the sentence of 22 years of imprisonment for Mustafa is still reasonable, after the jurisprudence analyzed", it was said, among other things, in the Supreme decision.

Mustafa was the first person to be sentenced by the Special Court, related to war crimes charges.

In July of this year, the Court also sentenced Pjeter Shala to 18 years of imprisonment for war crimes.

According to the Court, the victims were mostly Kosovar Albanians, who suffered damage from other Kosovar Albanians.

In addition to Mustafa and Shala, the former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, former head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Kadri Veseli, former member of the General Staff of the KLA, Rexhep Selimi, and former - the spokesman of the KLA, Jakup Krasniqi.

The trial against them is ongoing.

Earlier, the former heads of the KLA Veterans Organization, Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj, were convicted by the Specialized Chambers in The Hague for obstructing the administration of justice, but were later released on bail./REL