Kosovo Assembly (BETAPHOTO/ARMENIJA ZAJMI BESEVIC)
In a Sept. 2 ruling, the Pristina-based Basic Court found Kosovo's acting interior minister, Xhelal Sveçla, guilty of using tear gas in the Parliament of Kosovo in 2018.
The sentence will be announced following a hearing scheduled for Sept. 8, at which the parties will present mitigating and aggravating circumstances, the Court announced. Svecla was found guilty of the "use of a weapon or dangerous instrument," while the Court dismissed the charge of "obstructing an official in the performance of official duties" because the statute of limitations had expired.
Svecla did not attend the hearing. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Svecla had committed the offense, including a recording showing him activating a tear gas canister and throwing it inside the plenary chamber. The Self-Determination Movement’s and opposition MPs used tear gas in the Kosovo legislature in protest against a border demarcation agreement with Montenegro.
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