| Fatmir Limaj | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Transport and Telecommunication in the Government of the Republic of Kosovo | |
| In office 9 January 2008 – 18 October 2010 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 February 1971 Banja, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Political party | PDK |
| Religion | Muslim |
Fatmir Limaj (born 4 February 1971 in the village of Banja, Mališevo municipality, Yugoslavia – now Kosovo) is a politician from Kosovo. He is a member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and is considered to be Hashim Thaçi's right hand and close political partner. Limaj served as Minister of Transport and Telecommunication in the Government of the Republic of Kosovo.
During the 1999 Kosovo War, Limaj was a commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), in the Lapušnik area.[1] His alias was Çeliku.[1] After the war he was one of the founders of what is now Kosovo's largest political party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo. After his indictment, which he was freed from in 2007 (see below), he has returned to politics.
Limaj was arrested on February 18, 2003, in Slovenia. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) charged him, Isak Musliu and Haradin Bala with war crimes against Serbs and Albanians regarding illegal imprisonment, cruel treatment, inhuman acts, and murders in Lapušnik prison camp.[2][3][4] On March 4, 2003, he was sent to Haag, and on November 15, 2004, the trial began. In November 2005, Limaj was acquitted by the ICTY. On September 2007, "The Appeals Chamber finds that the Trial Chamber reasonably found that Fatmir Limaj does not incur criminal responsibility for any of the offences charged in the indictment," Judge Fausto Pocar said. On press conference help upon Judge Pocar's ruling, Limaj said that this verdict opens new paths for new victories.