PRISTINA, Feb 9 /ATA/- Today marks the commencement of the concluding stage of the most extensive judicial proceedings before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi, who have been held in pre-trial detention since November 2020, are standing trial on charges brought by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, which the accused have consistently contested as lacking factual and legal basis. The defense has likewise challenged the indictment, asserting, inter alia, that the Kosovo Liberation Army did not possess a centralized or formally structured chain of command.
“The Prosecution, the Defense, and the accused shall be afforded a final opportunity to address the Trial Panel through their respective submissions in the context of these proceedings.”
The trial against them commenced on 3 April 2023—nearly three years after the confirmation of the indictment—meanwhile during this period the former KLA leaders have been held at the detention facility in The Hague.
This year is expected to be decisive for the four former KLA officials, who have now been in detention in The Hague for approximately five years.
The Specialist Chambers are an integral part of Kosovo’s judicial system, yet they function with international personnel based in The Hague, the Netherlands. /KosovaPress/sm/
