In an interview with Klan News, Hill described Thaçi as a capable commander who was exceptionally mature for his age and said he had always regarded him highly.

“Hashim Thaçi was a remarkable personality, very mature for his age. He understood that Kosovo needed to be in a better position, and I always appreciated him. I do not believe he was involved in crimes. I never had the sense that Thaçi was involved in illegal acts,” Hill said.

Hill urged Kosovo Albanians not to respond to the verdict with resentment, but to look ahead and await the outcome of the appeals process.

“I would appeal to people not to feel resentment over this decision. We should look ahead and hope that the Appeals Court decision will be in favour of the former KLA leaders,” he said.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers sentenced Thaçi and three other former KLA leaders to a combined 81 years in prison at first instance.

Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi were each sentenced to 25 years, Kadri Veseli to 18 years and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years. The verdicts are subject to appeal.

/KosovaPress/u.sh/

In a statement issued by his lawyer on social media platform X on Thursday, Thaçi thanked people in Kosovo and the international community for their support and called for a peaceful response to the verdict.

His defence said it would appeal to the Appeals Panel of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, arguing that the trial had been marred by significant legal and factual errors and procedural concerns.

The defence also challenged the trial panel’s assessment of evidence, saying the findings of guilt beyond reasonable doubt were based on insufficient and uncorroborated evidence.

It specifically disputed the panel’s finding that Thaçi was involved in the killing of Behajdin Allaqi, saying evidence related to the case had been kept confidential during the proceedings.

“Mr. Thaçi expressly denies any involvement in killings,” the statement said.

The defence said it would formally file an appeal alleging violations of Thaçi’s fundamental right to a fair trial under the European Convention on Human Rights and Kosovo’s constitution.

/u.sh/

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi was found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

The trial panel found him criminally responsible for crimes including murder, torture, cruel treatment and unlawful detention, committed during the war in Kosovo.

Jakup Krasniqi was also found guilty of war crimes—including arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful killing—and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Kadri Veseli was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

The trial panel found Veseli guilty of war crimes, including unlawful or arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful killing.

Former Kosovo Assembly member Rexhep Selimi was also found guilty of wartime crimes. According to the trial panel, the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office succeeded in proving Selimi’s criminal liability beyond a reasonable doubt regarding several charges and he was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

They were charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including persecution, imprisonment, torture, murder and enforced disappearance.

The prosecution had sought 45-year prison sentences for each, while the defense had requested their acquittal.

Earlier, the trial panel acquitted them of charges regarding crimes against humanity.

Today’s ruling is a first-instance decision and may be appealed.

/p.s./

Under the slogan “Freedom for the liberators,” Prime Minister Edi Rama shared thoughts regarding the proceedings against the former KLA leaders.

Rama expressed his conviction that just as Kosovo triumphed by believing in freedom, Hashim Thaçi will also triumph through the power of his truth.

“The charade is in its final days—whatever one might expect from its perpetrators—but as Hashim himself has put it, no one, anywhere, can take away one’s freedom. Just as Kosovo triumphed by believing in freedom—even when it had no one and nothing, but its own thirst for freedom—so too will Hashim Thaçi triumph through the power of his truth; a truth that the years of imprisonment have only magnified, alongside the support of the entire Albanian nation,” said Rama. /p.s./

Thaçi shared a photo on social media from a meeting with Rama, accompanied by a message of thanks for the Albanian prime minister’s support for the KLA and its former leaders, who are currently facing proceedings at the Hague-based Specialist Chambers.

In his post, Thaçi said Rama had stood on the side of what he called the truth even at times when many others had chosen to remain silent.

/m.m/a.f/r.e/u.sh/

According to a statement made to Radio Television of Kosovo by Luka Mišetić, counsel for Hashim Thaçi, the change of date has been officially confirmed.

According to the Special Court’s rules, the trial panel must deliver a verdict within 90 days of the trial’s conclusion, though judges may request a 60-day extension.

The Special Prosecution in The Hague has requested a 45-year prison sentence for former Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi and top KLA leaders Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi. The accused, who have been in detention since 2020, maintain their innocence and uphold the legitimacy of the KLA’s liberation war.

Following the defense’s closing arguments, which asserted the KLA’s struggle was a just liberation war, the legal teams argued the prosecution failed to produce sufficient evidence. In response, the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office submitted its final claims. /a.f/p.s./

Prime Minister Edi Rama shared today in the social media extracts of the speech of the former President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi in front of the trial panel at the court.

“Freedom has a name,” Rama wrote alongside the video with Thaçi’s speech, who initially congratulated the citizens of Kosovo on occasion of the 18th anniversary of independence.

Thaçi said that, “I stand before you with one absolute truth: I am completely innocent”.

“I sympathize and express regret for all the victims who have suffered in Kosovo, regardless of their ethnic belonging,” he said further on.

Thaçi said that it was deeply shocking to hear the allegations of the prosecutor, especially because of the fact that during the war, he lived hour-to-hour, unsure if he would survive the day.

“I was not sure if I would see my family, my wife and my newborn son, let alone dream of exercising control in Kosovo, in Kosovo that had been completely occupied for about 90 years,” Thaçi said.

But, according to former President Thaçi, Kosovo was more important than his personal fate.

Thaçi also pointed at the criticisms of the vote in favor of the establishment of this court, while hoping that time would prove him right.

“I have been criticized a lot and I am still criticized in Kosovo because we supported the establishment of this court. The critics say that this court aims to criminalize our fight for freedom and the idea of ​​independence. I did not believe this at the time when we voted for it, but I sincerely hope that time will prove that I was right and the critics were wrong. This prosecution, instead of removing the dark cloud from Kosovo, is attempting to misrepresent the situation by invoking the dubious concept of a ‘joint criminal enterprise, said Thaçi.

The Hague Prosecution has requested a sentence of 45 years in prison for each of the four former KLA leaders. /m.m/j.p/p.s./

Speaking to the court, the former President Hashim Thaçi said that, “I stand before you with one absolute truth: I am completely innocent”.

He began his speech expressing his congratulations to all Albanians on the Independence Day of Kosovo.

“Three years of accusations cannot hide the truth: I am innocent,” said Thaçi.

“At the time of the massacres in early 1998, I was a student in Zurich. I had no plans to control Kosovo; that agenda belonged solely to Slobodan Milošević”, said Thaçi.

“Seeing the massacres, I could not remain indifferent. I decided to come to Kosovo. I am proud of this decision and I will never regret it. It would be an insult to the memory of the heroes and thousands of victims. It would also be an insult to the efforts of the NATO with which we cooperated closely.”

Thaçi said that the only opponent was Slobodan Milošević.

“I was not sure if I would see my family, let alone exercise control. I returned to my homeland to risk my life for freedom,” he added.

Slobodan Milošević had the country under control and ruled with an iron-fist. /Kosovapress/p.s./

Rama said that his February 17th congratulatory phone calls have been emotionally difficult for years, but this time the commander was composed.

“Thaçi repeated twice, “I have won my freedom, forever, and no one can ever take it away from me, wherever I am,”’ Rama wrote in a post in the social media where he shared the moments of the phone conversation with Thaçi.

Speaking on the phone, the head of government congratulated Hashim Thaçi on Independence Day, while expressing concern about the situation he is going through at The Hague.

“Happy Independence to you too, Commander. I am very concerned about this story. I embrace you, my brother, I love you very much. I am very sorry that I cannot do more … My best regards to your friends”, Rama said during the phone call.

Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi are being tried by the Kosovo Special Court in The Hague.

They are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Kosovo celebrates today the 18th anniversary of the declaration of independence. Until June 1999, Albanians suffered the consequences of ethnic cleansing by Milosevic’s army. After the end of the war and deployment of international troops in Kosovo, there began the process for defining the final status of Kosovo. /gj.m/j.p/p.s./

“Here is the reason in the face of an international idiocy,” Rama wrote, commenting on the conclusion of Thaçi’s defense lawyer’s closing statement.

The former president’s defense lawyer argued that Thaçi should be declared innocent and released, because the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office has not substantiated the allegations.

“At this point in the proceedings, the law requires that he must be presumed innocent,” the lawyer said.

According to him, the Specialized Prosecution Office has presented allegations, but the evidence must convince the court beyond any reasonable doubt that they are guilty.

“This proceeding was initiated because the Specialized Prosecution Office has come forward and presented a claim that there is evidence that proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused are guilty. For more than five years, we have been engaged in a process designed to substantiate the claims of the Specialized Prosecution Office and to prove its charges. This trial, therefore, is not a review of Hashim Thaçi’s life, but a substantiation of the claims of the Prosecution Office. When you begin the proceedings, you will start from the position that Hashim Thaçi is innocent and then you will assess whether the evidence presented by the Specialized Prosecution Office has convinced you beyond a reasonable doubt that Thaçi is guilty. If the Specialized Prosecution Office does not convince you, and you do not conclude that there is a reasonable explanation of the evidence that links Thaçi to the charges in the indictment, then it must acknowledge that the Prosecution has failed and therefore there must be issued an acquittal ruling,” he said.

The lawyer stated that Hashim Thaçi will remain innocent, according to the law.

“We assert that your deliberations will reach the inevitable conclusion that the Specialized Prosecution Office has failed to provide evidence,” stated Thaçi’s defense lawyer.

For its part, the Specialized Prosecution Office in The Hague claims that Thaçi has lied the internationals on several occasions and that their statements should be taken with a certain reservation. According to the prosecution, well-known international figures, such as James Rubin and Wesley Clark, did not fully understand the situation on the ground and Thaçi’s ability to disguise his actions, which has influenced their perception of the functioning of the KLA.

The prosecution has requested a sentence of 45 years imprisonment for each of the defendants, who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the period March 1998 – September 1999, in several areas of Kosovo and northern Albania.

After the conclusion of the closing statements, the case will be taken to the trial panel, which has three months to make a ruling, with the possibility of extending this deadline. /j.p/p.s./