US EditionKosovo fighter's sentence cut to 13 years despite court upholding convictions for murder and torture
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS, JUL 14 – Appeals judges cut Pjetër Shala's prison term from 18 to 13 years after ruling the original sentence was too harsh given his limited command role in the war crimes.
- In 2025, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague maintained the guilty verdicts against ex-KLA member Pjeter Shala for crimes including killing, mistreatment, and unlawful imprisonment, while reducing his sentence from 18 to 13 years.
- Shala's 2024 conviction for abuses in a makeshift jail during Kosovo's 1998-99 war followed Kosovo's fight for independence from Serbia amid a conflict led by Slobodan Milosevic.
- The appeals judges found that evidence was lacking to support some of Shala's convictions related to torture and detention, leading to their reversal, while confirming other charges and recognizing that Shala did not have command responsibility in the murder case.
- Judges lowered Shala’s prison sentence from 18 to 13 years, noting that the initial term was excessively harsh compared to similar cases, while emphasizing that the seriousness of his offenses remained unchanged.
- The ruling reflects continued international judicial oversight of war crimes from Kosovo's independence struggle and may influence sentencing standards for former KLA fighters.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Kosovo rebel’s sentence upheld, jail time reduced
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) member Pjeter Shala saw his conviction upheld but the sentence reduced from 18 to 13 years, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers tribunal in The Hague said on Monday. The tribunal, staffed by international judges and lawyers, was set up in 2015 to handle cases under Kosovo law against fighters of the KLA. The court said Shala's original sentencing was "out of reasonable proportion to comparable cases." Shala was convicted …
An appeal court has reduced the sentence of a former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army, but the charges of murder and torture have confirmed it.
The Special Court in The Hague today sentenced ex-KLA member Pjeter Shala to 13 years in prison for war crimes against detainees at the KLA base in the Albanian town of Kukes, in the spring of 1999.
Kosovo War Fighter's Conviction Upheld, Sentence Reduced
Kosovo War Fighter's Conviction Upheld, Sentence Reduced Appeals judges at a European Union-supported court have upheld the murder, torture, and arbitrary detention convictions against former Kosovo Liberation Army fighter Pjeter Shala on Monday. However, they reduced his prison term from 18 years to 13, citing an excessively harsh sentence initially imposed during his trial.Shala was convicted a year ago for his involvement in the mistreatment …
Kosovo tribunal reduces sentence for former KLA member
THE HAGUE - Appeals judges at the Kosovo tribunal in The Hague confirmed the conviction of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) member Pjeter Shala for war crimes, but reduced his sentence to 13 years in prison, the court said on Monday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Associated Press News
Kosovo fighter's sentence cut to 13 years despite court upholding convictions for murder and torture
A European Union-backed court has upheld convictions against former Kosovo Liberation Army fighter Pjetër Shala for murder, torture and arbitrary detention.
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