Thaci Trial to Resume in The Hague on May 10

Hashim Thaci (Photo: PrintScreen YouTube)

The third witness for the prosecution in The Hague trial of the former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Hashim Thaci, and three co-defendants for crimes in Kosovo and Albania in 1998/1999, testified behind closed doors on April 20.

The co-accused for crimes against the Albanians, Serbs and Roma are members of the KLA’s headquarters Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi.

Witness 4421 testified at a closed session of the court for KLA crimes. Closed sessions represent the highest level of protection of witness identity. During the short open part of the hearing, the trial chamber overruled the defense’s objection against the questions the judges asked the previous witness for the prosecution, at the hearing on April 19.

The defense objected to the judges having asked witness 2652, also in a closed session, about issues that were outside of the scope of his testimony and earlier statements. While overruling the objection, Presiding Judge Charles Smith stressed that judges had the right to ask a witness about any topic they deemed relevant.

The trial of Thaci and co-defendants will resume on May 10, according to the official calendar of the Kosovo Specialized Chambers, which is the official name of the court. The process began on April 3 with the opening statements by the prosecution, the representatives of 140 victims and the defense.