Kosovo Parliament. | Photo: Atdhe Mulla.

Leaked forensics reports fail to link VV activists to Assembly attack

Two forensics reports fail to connect Vetevendosje activists to Assembly building attack, but the case prosecutor claims that the indictment is based on other evidence.

Leaders of the opposition party Vetevendosje have been circulating two Kosovo Forensic Agency reports on Facebook, which they claim fail to link four party activists to the Assembly building attack on August 4.

The first report reveals that the DNA samples of the defendants accused of terrorism do not match those taken from the crime scene. The second document reports on the analysis of data found on electronic gadgets collected from the defendants’ households, which also could not be linked to the Assembly attack.

Vetevendosje Secretary Dardan Molliqaj claimed the reports prove the innocence of the defendants.

Abdurrahim Islami, the prosecutor from the Special Prosecution, told Prishtina Insight that the indictment is not based upon the results of the DNA taken at the scene or the collected electronic devices.

“The prosecution knew about this even before the indictment was raised, and we have other evidence upon which we have supported the indictment,” said Islami.

The prosecutor did not clarify what evidence the indictment, which was raised on December 29,  is based on.

Florije Drevinja, the lawyer of Adea Batusha, one of the defendants in this case, told PI that they received the forensic results and that they were unable to connect her defendant to the attack.

Six people were arrested for this attack against the Kosovo Assembly: Frasher Krasniqi, Adea Batusha, Egzon Haliti, Atdhe Arifi, Astrit Dehari, and Petrit Ademi.

Due to lack of evidence, Petrit Ademi was freed without being charged, while the late Astrit Dehari, who died in November while in detention, is also no longer under investigation.

17/01/2017 - 14:14

17 January 2017 - 14:14

Prishtina Insight is a digital and print magazine published by BIRN Kosovo, an independent, non-governmental organisation. To find out more about the organization please visit the official website. Copyright © 2016 BIRN Kosovo.