The Specialist Prosecutor's Office (SPO) in The Hague has announced that it will not call any witnesses after April 4, in the trial of former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
This was confirmed by prosecutor Matt Malling at a conference held on February 19th on the progress of the case, where he said that "April 4th is the latest anticipated date" for calling witnesses.
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, former MP Rexhep Selimi and two former speakers of the Kosovo Assembly, Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. They have been in the detention center in The Hague for four years and their requests for release from detention have been repeatedly rejected by judges.
During the conference, it was announced that two more witnesses will testify next week, while for March it was said that so far only one person's testimony has been confirmed, despite plans to interview other witnesses.
In April, after the SPO has completed questioning witnesses, the defense teams of the four defendants – who have pleaded not guilty – will present their case.
Thaçi did not attend today's conference, similar to the last one, due to health reasons. The other three defendants were present via video link.
Their trial began in April 2023, as defense teams have repeatedly complained about the length of this process.
In November last year, the head of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Ekaterina Trendafilova, said that it is up to the judges to decide whether to release the four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army from detention once the Specialist Prosecution completes its 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."
The indictment states that the four defendants and other KLA members were part of a “joint criminal enterprise” and “shared the common goal of seizing and exercising control throughout Kosovo by all means, including intimidation, mistreatment, the use of violence and the elimination of those they considered opponents.”
The Special Court or Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office investigate alleged crimes committed by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army against ethnic minorities and political rivals from January 1998 to December 2000.
The court was established in 2015 by the Kosovo Assembly and is part of the Kosovo judicial system, but operates with international personnel and is headquartered in The Hague./ REL (A2 Televizion)
