ICTY to rule again on Kosovo ex-PM’s political activities pending trial News
ICTY to rule again on Kosovo ex-PM’s political activities pending trial

[JURIST] The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia [JURIST news archive] at The Hague is this week expected to make a final ruling on a bid by accused former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj [BBC profile] to return to political life in Kosovo pending his scheduled trial in 2007 [JURIST report]. The ICTY allowed Haradinaj to return to politics [JURIST report] two weeks ago, but chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte [BBC profile] succeeded in temporarily halting the move. Del Ponte opposes the decision because the media attention surrounding Haradinaj will “have a chilling effect on victims and witnesses.” Haradinaj, a former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, was charged with torture, murder and ethnic cleansing [JURIST report] in March. The current UN administration in Kosovo [UNMIK website] spearheaded the move to lift the ban on politics for Haradinaj because they believe he could play a crucial role in calming political hardliners during talks between Kosovo’s Albanians and Serbs. The UN Security Council approved the beginning of talks [JURIST report] on the future of Kosovo on Monday. Most Albanians hope Haradinaj will help unify Albanians during the talks. Serbs believe the move by the UN mission proves that the war crimes tribunal is biased against Serbs. The Observer has more.