Malaysian Sisters Lead Kosovo War Crimes Defence At The Hague
Sisters Venkateswari and Shymala Alagendra are the lead defense and co-counsel respectively in the Kosovo war crimes trial.
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Malaysian lawyer Dato’ Shyamala Alagendra Khan shared on LinkedIn her pride for her sister, Venkateswari Alagendra, for leading a major war crimes defence at The Hague.
Venkateswari serves as lead counsel for a defence team representing a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, while Shyamala serves as co-counsel.
Shyamala shared that Venkateswari’s presence in that courtroom is significant because it’s rare to have an Asian woman lead in a major trial at The Hague.
Adding to the feat, Venkateswari remained on the case throughout the five-year trial, even as other defendants changed lead counsel multiple times. Her consistent presence in the case helped shape the defence, strengthen its strategy, and provide a consistent voice in a complex, evolving case.
Shyamala told Free Malaysia Today that she has witnessed subtle assumptions about what it means to be a female and non-Western lawyer leading in that courtroom.
Those undercurrents were real. We did not ignore them, and we did not internalise them. We met them with preparation, composure and an unwavering command of the facts, the evidence and the law.
Malaysian lawyer Dato’ Shyamala Alagendra Khan
She asserted that the FMT article on her sister captured who she is: someone who has an unshakeable commitment to due process and intellectual discipline.
Shyamala said Venkateswari’s authority rests on meticulous command of the facts, the evidence, and the strategy that shapes the trial.
Last but not least, Shyamala believes that international justice is strengthened when it reflects a diversity of experiences and perspectives.
What is the Kosovo war crimes case about?
The Kosovo war crimes case examines some of the most contested allegations arising from the 1998-1999 conflict.
Four men face the charges of war crimes, including persecution, murder, torture, and enforced disappearances during the uprising that led to Kosovo’s independence from Serbia. They were arrested in 2020.
The four men are:
- Jakup Krasniqi, a former spokesman of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and later speaker of Kosovo’s assembly.
- Hashim Thaci, former Kosovo president.
- Kadri Veseli, former speaker.
- Rexhep Selimi, former lawmaker.
Prosecutors argued that the four accused were part of a joint criminal enterprise that targeted perceived opponents. This led to more than 100 people dead and hundreds more subjected to abuse. Prosecutors are seeking sentences of up to 45 years.
However, the defence firmly rejected the case in its entirety, arguing that there was no evidence of a criminal enterprise, no established chain of command, and no direct link tying the accused to the alleged crimes.
According to Free Malaysia Today, more than 13,000, the majority Kosovo Albanians, were killed during the conflict. The then-nationalist president, Slobodan Milosevic, and his forces carried out a violent crackdown on ethnic Albanians and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Many in Kosovo see the former KLA commanders as fighters of independence, while the five-year trial represents a long-delayed search for accountability for others.
Protestors gathered in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, as the country marked the 18th anniversary of its independence. Many also gathered to oppose the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers.
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