The Special Prosecution Office announced that it has completed the presentation of evidence in the trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselji, Rexhep Selim and Jakup Krasniqi before the Special Court in The Hague.
The trial of four former KLA leaders Thaci, Veselji, Krasniqi and Selimi, who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, began on 3 April 2023.
During the said period, the prosecution called 125 witnesses who gave testimonies in the courtroom and presented around 3,000 pieces of material evidence in multiple languages.
The prosecution announced that Thaci, Veselji, Selimi and Krasniqi are charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the murder of more than 100 victims and the unlawful detention and torture of hundreds of victims.
According to the indictment, crimes were committed against hundreds of civilians and individuals who did not participate in the fighting in the period from at least March 1998 to September 1999 in several locations throughout Kosovo and northern Albania.
The trial panel, presided over by American judge Charles Smith, gave the prosecutors until April 2025 to complete the presentation of evidence against the defendants, and the prosecutors initially announced that they would have more than 300 witnesses, but after the judge’s request, they reduced that number by 100.
In November 2020, the Special Court for War Crimes in Kosovo indicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including persecution, murder, torture, enforced disappearance and other crimes committed during the struggle for independence.
Three of his closest associates, including two former parliament speakers, face the same indictment as former KLA guerilla fighters.
All four are charged with “a joint criminal enterprise in which massive, systematic attacks were carried out” against Serbian civilians in Kosovo and Kosovo Albanians who were political opponents of the KLA.
