Today, ICTY handed down a "not guilty" verdict in the case of Fatmir Limaj, one of the UCK commanders on trial for war crimes. Since the verdict was announced, the Albanians have been celebrating in the streets of Pristina. Now, we sit in our offices and listen to the passing cars blowing their horns, shouting youths, and the occasional firecrackers or gunfire. The opinion of most Albanians is that the UCK fighters should be absolved of any wrongdoing during the fighting as they were fighting for the independence of Kosovo. The Albanians who are put on trial are often referred to as "war heroes" no matter what they did during the fighting.
What is little heard about is the other UCK commander, Haradin Bala, who was found guilty of torture, cruel treatment, and murder. He was sentenced to 13-years in prison for the torturing of 3 inmates and the murder of nine prisoners in his care in an UCK prison in Llapushnik/Lapusnik. For more information on the entire trial, check Southeast European Times article.
