RT Balkan misinforms in the case of Lazovic's conviction for war crimes

The RT Balkan portal, part of the Russian state network's propaganda, following the decision of the Basic Court in Pristina, within the Kosovo legal system, to sentence Srdan Lazovic to 12 and a half years in prison for war crimes, has misinformed by calling this decision "a continuation of the torture of Pristina."

According to RT Balkan reporting:

"Pristina's torture continues: Serb gets 12 years in prison, 'a walking mole' as key evidence. None of the witnesses in the trial were able to identify Srđan Lazović as a participant in the alleged 1998 crime, but this did not interest the court," writes RT Balkan.

Analysis:

RT Balkan misinforms by claiming that the court decision was made solely on the basis of a single piece of evidence – the mole – which it calls "ridiculous".

In reality, the identification was made through forensic analysis of photographs from 1998. In addition to physical characteristics, the court also took into account the testimonies of survivors, who described the accused's role in torturing civilians in the Panorc village school.

RT Balkan also misinforms when it claims that witnesses have not identified Lazovic. According to reports from the trial, witnesses have given statements to the prosecution and the court regarding the events.

The defense has attempted to contest the identification due to the passage of time (26 years), but RT Balkan misuses this argument as "proof" of innocence, ignoring material evidence and other testimony.

Likewise, RT Balkan misinforms when he uses the phrase "the torture of Pristina continues", since justice for war crimes is not only applied to Serbs, but also to Albanians and other suspects - a fact that is not mentioned in Serbian and Russian propaganda media.

In reality, the trial against Lazović was open to the public, with the presence of defense attorneys chosen by the accused himself and under the monitoring of international organizations.

In the international media and in Kosovo, Nowhere is it claimed that the witnesses did not have identified the accused.

The Geo Post