03 October 2012

A mixed panel of two EULEX judges and three local judges, presided by a EULEX judge at the Supreme Court rejected all the appeals filed on behalf of seven defendants in the so-called Tizsa river case and confirmed all prison sentences. The panel modified ex officio the first instance judgment in respect to the legal designation of the offences, but ruled that the defendants stay sentenced to the same extent as pronounced by the District Court of Prishtinë/Priština.

The Supreme Court amended the first instance verdict as follows: A.H., S.A., I.K. and S.S. are found guilty of the criminal offence of organized crime in conjunction with the offence of smuggling of migrants. F.P., X.H. and B.A. are found guilty of the criminal offence of smuggling of migrants. All defendants were found guilty for their role in the tragic deaths of fifteen people who drowned in the River Tisza between Serbia and Hungary in October 2009.

The District court of Prishtinë/Priština sentenced A.H. to an aggregate punishment of 19 years of imprisonment and 250.000 Euros of fine. S.A. was sentenced to an aggregated punishment of seventeen 17 years of imprisonment and 200.000 Euro fine. F.P. was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and X.H. to a suspended punishment of two years of imprisonment. I.K. and S.S. were sentenced to eight years of imprisonment each. B.A. was sentenced to an aggregated punishment of five years of imprisonment.