Bala to Serve Time in France

Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, commander Haradin Bala was transferred to France on May 16 to serve the rest of his 13-year prison term for crimes in Kosovo.



Last year, the appeals chamber confirmed Bala’s conviction from two years earlier, when he was found guilty of crimes against Serb and Albanian civilians perceived to be Serbian collaborators.



The appeals chamber upheld the original trial chamber decision and sentenced him to 13 years in prison.



The trial against Bala and his two co-accused Fatmir Limaj and Isak Musli began in November 2004. In 2005, Bala was guilty of torture and murder, in the first judgment passed by the tribunal relating to crimes in Kosovo. The others were acquitted of all charges against them.



Bala, who served as a guard at the prison camp in the Llapushnik/Lapusnik area, was convicted of involvement in the murders of nine detainees there.



Denis Dzidic is an IWPR-trained reporter.