Visiting faculty member Fred Abrahams testifies in war crimes trial before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague

This September, visiting faculty member Fred Abrahams testified for the prosecution in a war crimes trial in The Hague about events during the Kosovo conflict in 1998-99. The case is before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers & Specialist Prosecutor's Office established by the EU under Kosovo law, with international judges and prosecutors to try former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

Abrahams’ testimony was informed by his time as a researcher covering the conflict for Human Rights Watch. During that period, HRW produced multiple reports, primarily about serious violations by Serbian and Yugoslav forces, but also some about violations by the KLA.

According to Balkan Transitional Justice’s reporting of the public trial, “Abrahams said Human Rights Watch investigators’ methodology involved interviewing first-hand witnesses of family members, and they had tried to back up the testimonies with supporting material such as autopsy reports, medical reports or court decisions. However, he admitted that interviewing witnesses for alleged crimes committed by [Kosovo Liberation Army] fighters had proven hard.”

Abhrams had previously testified against Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic at the UN war crimes tribunal.

Post Date: 10-23-2023