The Special Court in The Hague has rejected the defense motion of former KLA leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi, and has upheld all charges against them.
Defense attorneys had requested the dismissal of charges related to incidents that occurred before May 1998 and after June 20, 1999. Presiding Judge Charles Smith explained that the incidents mentioned by the defense are not considered separate charges, but as an integral part of the existing charges, writes A2.
According to Smith, Rule 130 does not give the trial panel the authority to dismiss specific parts of the indictment that contain facts and material, if these do not constitute independent charges.
“The Trial Chamber notes that the incidents and events that occurred at the time contested by the defense are not allegations within the meaning of Rule 130,” he said. The judge added that many of the facts in question relate to crimes against humanity, for which, unlike war crimes, it is not necessary to prove the existence of an armed conflict.
For this reason, even if the defense arguments were accepted, they would not lead to the dismissal of any count of the indictment. The confirmed indictment against Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selim was filed on September 30, 2022 and contains ten counts, charging the defendants with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi have been in detention in The Hague since November 2020. (A2 Televizion)
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