Kosovo Special Prosecution Confirms Raids in Pristina

Kosovo Special Prosecution Office based in The Hague confirmed Wednesday its raid in Pristina, but without giving further details. 

"The Specialized Prosecutor's Office is currently conducting operations in Pristina. Operations are being carried out with the support of the Kosovo Police and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo," reads a statement from the Special Prosecutor's Office. 

In the morning, a raid was carried out on the house of Jakup Krasniqi, former spokesman of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who was interrogated in The Hague in July 2019. 

Kosovo Special Prosecution Office deals with allegations of war and post-war crimes in Kosovo. 

The first arrest was made on September 24. Salih Mustafa, a former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army, was arrested on charges of arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful murder. Mr Mustafa denied the allegations in a court appearance on October 28. 

The Special Court was established in 2015 and operates under the laws of Kosovo, but with international staff. 

The idea for its founding followed claims made in a 2011 report drafted by Council of Europe envoy Dick Martty, which raised suspicions that former members of KLA were involved in the killing of Serb civilians and Albanian political opponents. 

Over 200 former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army have been interrogated since the beginning of 2019, while on June 24 the prosecution published the announcement of the still unconfirmed accusations against the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi and the Chairman of the Democratic Party, Kadri Veseli, as suspects in crimes against humanity and war crimes.