Closing statements in the case against former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders will be held from February 9 to 18, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers based in The Hague announced.
Former KLA superiors Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The four have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
According to the announcement, it is expected that the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office will initially deliver its closing statement on February 9. The following day, it will be the turn of the victims’ advocate.
On February 11, the closing statement is scheduled to be made by the defense team of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi.
On February 12, the defense of former Speaker of Parliament Kadri Veseli will be next, while the day after that of former MP Rexhep Selimi and former Speaker of Parliament Jakup Krasniqi.
On February 16, Krasniqi’s defense team is expected to continue its closing arguments, followed by time for possible questions from the panel. Two days later, on February 18, according to an agenda that the Specialist Chambers said could change, there will be answers from the parties and statements from the accused.
Before the closing statements, the parties will submit final files by January 30.
After that, the panel has three months to reach a decision and announce it. As the Court in The Hague has previously said, the panel can request an extension of the deadline for reaching a decision for another two months, and in exceptional cases, even longer.
Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi, and Selimi have been in detention since November 2020. Their trial began in April 2023. Initially, the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office called 125 witnesses to the courtroom, while 117 others submitted their written testimonies.
In September of this year, the defense of Thaçi and Krasniqi presented witnesses, while Veseli and Selimi did not present defense evidence.
Among the witnesses for Thaçi’s defense who appeared in The Hague were mostly senior Western officials with direct knowledge of the events. They included former US Assistant Secretary of State James Rubin and retired US General Welsley Clark, who led the NATO air campaign against Serbian military targets in 1999.
Meanwhile, Thaçi is facing another case for obstruction of justice, and the trial in this matter is scheduled to begin on February 24 of this year.
The indictment charges the defendants with “personal” responsibility, but also for “crimes committed by their subordinates.”
According to the indictment, Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the murder of more than 100 victims as well as the unlawful detention and torture of hundreds of victims.
The indictment states that the four defendants and other KLA members were part of a “joint criminal enterprise” and “shared the common goal of seizing and exercising control throughout Kosovo by all means, including intimidation, mistreatment, the use of violence and the elimination of those they considered opponents.”
The Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office – widely known as the Specialist Court – were established in 2015 by the Kosovo Assembly and are part of the Kosovo judicial system, but operate with international staff in the Netherlands.
The Special Court investigates alleged crimes committed by KLA members against ethnic minorities and political rivals from January 1998 to December 2000./REL