The hearing of the first defense witness at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers has begun.

James Rubin, who during the war in Kosovo was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, will present his testimony in defense of former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi.

This is Thaçi’s first defense witness, with the defense planning to bring around 11 witnesses before the court. Afterwards, the trial will continue with witnesses called by the defense of former Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Jakup Krasniqi.

Alongside Thaçi and Krasniqi, former Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli and former MP Rexhep Selimi are also on trial. Their lawyers do not intend to present defense witnesses. The Office of the Specialist Prosecutor (SPO) has charged them with alleged war crimes, claiming they were part of a “joint criminal enterprise.”

On the other hand, Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi, and Selimi have all pleaded not guilty to all counts of the indictment.

The presentation of defense evidence comes four months after the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office concluded with its witnesses and closed its case. The prosecution had brought 125 witnesses to court and relied on more than 130 written testimonies.

The defense of the four former KLA leaders denies the charges and has argued that the KLA did not have an organized command structure.

The indictment against the former KLA leaders was made public in the fall of 2020. Since then, they have been held at the detention center in Scheveningen, The Hague. Their trial began in April 2023.

Judges at the Specialist Chambers expect the defense of the former KLA leaders to submit their final written arguments by December 22 of this year.