At the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, the final hearing for the presentation of closing statements in the trial against the former KLA leaders, who have been in pre-trial detention since November 2020, has begun.

At the start of the session, the trial panel announced that Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi will give their final statements after the lunch break.

Meanwhile, the four KLA leaders are following today’s session from the courtroom in The Hague.

Currently, the victims’ counsel, Simon Laws, is presenting his responses, addressing the defense claims made on behalf of Selimi, which argued that no connection has been proven between the alleged crimes and Rexhep Selimi.

Regarding this, Laws stated that it is not the victims’ counsel’s role to prove the charges, as this is the responsibility of the prosecution.

“The claim is that we have not established a link between the crimes and Selimi. Our response contains two aspects: there is no legal criterion or condition requiring us to prove the existence of a link between the crimes and Selimi or other accused individuals, neither at this stage nor at any stage of this process. Certainly, we have not attempted to do so, specifically to prove a link between the crimes and Selimi. What we have done is present information and evidence regarding the harm suffered by the victims, as required of us. It is not our job to prove the charges against Selimi; that is the prosecution’s responsibility,” he said.

Currently, the closing statement of the defense team of former President Hashim Thaci is being heard in the Hague courtroom.

The presentation of closing statements in the case against the former KLA leaders began on February 9 at the Specialist Chambers.

This marks the final phase of the largest judicial process at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

The defense teams of Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi have requested that all four be acquitted of all charges.

They stated before the trial panel that there is no evidence supporting the SPO’s allegations of war crimes.

Special Prosecutor Kimberly West has requested a 45-year prison sentence for each of the former KLA leaders.

Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi face charges brought by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, which they have deemed unfounded. The defense also rejected the charges, arguing that the KLA did not have an organized command structure.

The trial against them began on April 3, 2023—almost three years after the indictment was confirmed—and since then, the former KLA leaders have been held at the detention center in The Hague.