COLMAR – The investigative council of the appeals court in Colmar, France, on Thursday rejected a Serbian extradition request for Ramush Haradinaj, a former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and lifted a ban on his leaving France, providing no reasoning for the decision.
The French public prosecutor may appeal the decision with the court of cassation within five days, the appeals court said.
The Serbian Office of the Prosecutor for War Crimes has charged Haradinaj with war crimes committed in Kosovo-Metohija in 1998 and 1999.
In the wake of the decision, the Serbian government called a special session for 11 am.
After leaving the court building, Haradinaj, who is now the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, said the court decision was a “victory for Albanians.”
He was arrested on the Swiss-French border on January 4 on a Serbian warrant.