Former President of Kosovo, Hashim Tha\u00e7i, from The Hague, today wished all Albanians a happy 28th of November. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the preparatory conference in the case against Hashim Tha\u00e7i, Bashkim Smakaj, Fadil Fazliu, Isni Kilaj and Hajredin Ku\u00e7i \u2014 regarding obstruction of justice \u2014 held at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, Tha\u00e7i expressed dissatisfaction with the scheduling of the session on a day when Albanians celebrate their national holiday. He said the session was an unpleasant surprise for him and for the Albanian people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the detention center, Tha\u00e7i wished that Albanians celebrate united, proud, and with dignity, expressing confidence that in future Novembers they will celebrate together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI welcome the holding of this session and that is why I am present today, because I am committed to respecting the rule of law. But, honorable judge, it is important that this court avoids actions that would not be permitted in other respective countries. Like every people, we Albanians have our history, traditions, and national values. Scheduling this session exactly on 28 November should have been avoided. Having this hearing today, on 28 November, is an unpleasant surprise for me and for every Albanian. Today every Albanian has a national, state, and family holiday. It is the day of dignity and national pride, a day when, like any free nation, we celebrate and remember. Therefore, I would like to wish Albanians a happy 28th of November \u2014 may they celebrate united, proud, and with dignity. I believe that in future Novembers we will celebrate together,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Tha\u00e7i\u2019s remarks, the presiding judge, Christoph Gosnell, stated that the date had been set in consultation with all parties and no objections were raised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe set this date after consulting all parties, and there were no objections regarding this day for the status conference,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the beginning of the hearing, while discussions were underway regarding motions and deadlines for submitting oral evidence, Tha\u00e7i requested to speak. His lawyer, Sophie Menegon, noted that her client\u2019s comment was not directly related to the procedural issues being discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe told me he wanted to make a brief comment. I don\u2019t know if you wish to give him the floor now; it is not directly related to the calendar issues,\u201d <\/em>she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judge Gosnell responded that Tha\u00e7i would be given the opportunity to speak at the end of the session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI suggest we proceed with the agenda, and Mr. Tha\u00e7i will be given the opportunity to make an intervention at the end of today\u2019s hearing,\u201d<\/em> the judge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the preparatory conference, Judge Gosnell asked the SPO (Specialist Prosecutor\u2019s Office) for further clarifications on when the trial in this case could begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Referencing the prosecution\u2019s filing, he noted that the SPO estimated the trial could begin in early February 2026, depending on the completion of ongoing investigative steps and receipt of materials from an external service provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt depends on the final results and completion of steps currently underway. Some materials still need translation, analysis and disclosure to all parties. It is not an endless investigation; it is focused on specific matters. Our suggestion is mid or late February,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The judge highlighted delays caused by the prosecution and asked what steps would be taken to avoid further postponements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He noted that the SPO had previously indicated readiness for November 2025, but has since pushed back the date by three weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the conference, it was stated that the presentation of the SPO\u2019s core evidence would not take more than two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe prosecution says presenting its core case will not take more than two weeks, and proposes calling all witnesses consecutively at the beginning of February,\u201d <\/em>he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regarding the examination of the seventh witness, Tha\u00e7i\u2019s lawyer, Sophie Menegon, said she could not yet estimate how long the questioning would take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are ready to proceed with questioning, but I cannot say at this moment how long it will take,\u201d <\/em>she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar positions were expressed by the lawyers of Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fazli Fazliu and Hajredin Ku\u00e7i.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Physically present in the courtroom today were only Fadil Fazliu and Isni Kilaj, while Tha\u00e7i, Bashkim Smakaj, and Hajredin Ku\u00e7i participated via video link. Several lawyers appeared via video as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the status conference, Judge Gosnell said he would issue the scheduling order for the trial in written form and ordered the prosecution to submit its motion on the admission of non-oral evidence by 17 December 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Isni Kilaj, Bashkim Smakaj, and Fadil Fazliu were arrested by the SPO on 5 December and transferred to the detention center of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) on 6 December 2024. Tha\u00e7i was served with an arrest warrant at the detention facility on 5 December 2024. Hajredin Ku\u00e7i was served with the confirmed indictment and summons, and his initial appearance was held on 9 December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the indictment, during non-privileged visits in the detention center, Hashim Tha\u00e7i provided Smakaj, Kilaj, Fazliu, and Ku\u00e7i with confidential information about SPO witnesses, instructions on how to influence their testimonies, and details on how this should be carried out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The indictment further alleges that Tha\u00e7i coordinated three separate groups\u2014one with Smakaj, one with Fazliu and Kilaj, and one with Ku\u00e7i\u2014with the aim of influencing SPO witnesses in the trial against former KLA leaders accused of war crimes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Former President of Kosovo, Hashim Tha\u00e7i, from The Hague, today wished all Albanians a happy 28th of November. During the preparatory conference in the case against Hashim Tha\u00e7i, Bashkim Smakaj, Fadil Fazliu, Isni Kilaj and Hajredin Ku\u00e7i \u2014 regarding obstruction of justice \u2014 held at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, Tha\u00e7i expressed dissatisfaction […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":78384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[301,296],"tags":[5928,7036,1170],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78383"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78383"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78387,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78383\/revisions\/78387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}