Lawyers for former KLA leaders complain they have little time to prepare their defense

2025-07-22 20:17:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Lawyers for former KLA leaders complain they have little time to prepare their

A status conference has been held at the Specialist Chambers in The Hague for the case against former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), with the defense complaining that there is not enough time to prepare the case and with the Specialist Prosecutor's Office requesting more details about the witnesses who will appear.

Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Apart from Krasniqi, who attended the hearing via video link, other former KLA leaders are present in court.

Thaçi's lawyer, Lluka Misetic, complained that the trial panel rejected the defense's request for 10 weeks to prepare its case, saying that on August 25, the defense should begin its case.

"The court has reduced the time for preparing the defense from 10 weeks to 2 weeks," he said, adding that this deadline is a huge burden on his team.

The Specialized Prosecutor's Office said that this is sufficient time for the defense. Meanwhile, the trial panel said that the defense was asked in October of last year how much time it needed for the case, and it stated that it needed 4-6 weeks.

Thaçi's defense said that the problem with the appearance of witnesses on August 25th has to do with the authorizations required for witnesses, according to rule 107. This rule concerns the disclosure of the witness's identity or sensitive information.

The defense of Thaçi and Krasniqi, according to the trial panel, a day earlier submitted a list of witnesses and materials they intend to use during the case.

However, the SPO said that from the list of witnesses, only three of them have been identified.

The trial panel asked the defense several times why it is now stating that it is not ready to present these witnesses, since it has also published a witness list in the past. Mišeti? described the publication of a witness list as a wrong practice, while adding that the necessary steps must now be followed and authorizations obtained.

The court asked Krasniqi's lawyer, Aidan Ellis, if his team is ready to start presenting witnesses on August 25 so that Thaçi's team can prepare, but he said he is not ready.

The panel asked how many witnesses the Thaçi and Krasniqi defenses plan to call. Thaçi's defense said it plans to call 12 witnesses, 11 of whom intend to testify in court and one through written testimony. Meanwhile, Krasniqi's defense said it intends to call five witnesses.

Thaçi's defense stated that only one witness needed protective measures.

"We want their identity protected until they give their testimony," Misetic said regarding the witnesses.

The SPO complained that the defense is not providing a list of witnesses who will appear in The Hague so that it can prepare for them, but Misetic said the list will be provided three weeks - as is permitted under the court's rules.

Thaçi's defense said that there are close to 30 documents that it plans to present and for which authorization is required, which relate to information obtained confidentially and whose source is protected. Krasniqi's defense said that there are five such materials.

At the end of the session, the trial panel said it would decide on the defense's request to begin presenting witnesses on September 15.

As of November 4 and 5, 2020, all four defendants have been in custody in The Hague, where the Kosovo Specialist Chambers are located.

The trial against them began in April 2023. In over two years, the Specialized Prosecutor's Office called 125 witnesses to the courtroom and presented around 3,000 pieces of material evidence.

The SPO declared on April 16 that it had concluded presenting evidence against former KLA leaders.

After the prosecution, it will be the defense teams' turn to present their case.

The Specialized Prosecutor's Office had confirmed the indictment against former KLA leaders in October 2020, but made it public only a month later.

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./rel