The preliminary judge, Nicolas Guillou, has made a decision, by which, he has extended the custody measure of Pjeter Shala, who is being charged by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) for war crimes.
This was announced through the decision published on the official website of the Specialized Chambers.
It states that the pre-trial judge has concluded that there are still risks that Shala will escape, impede the progress of Specialized Chamber proceedings or commit further crimes against those perceived as KLA opponents, including witnesses who have provided evidence to the SPO and / or who will appear before the Specialized Chambers.
Shala was arrested on March 16, 2021, by the Belgian authorities and transferred to The Hague on April 15, 2021, based on a request for cooperation in the implementation of the arrest warrant and the transfer order issued by the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo.
In the confirmed indictment, Shala is charged with individual criminal liability in various forms for war crimes such as arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful murder, committed in the context of and in connection with the armed conflict in Kosovo.
“The crimes for which Mr. “Shala was committed approximately between May 17, 1999 and June 5, 1999, against persons who were detained at the metal factory in Kukes (Albania), which was allegedly used by the Kosovo Liberation Army,” the statement said.
