Hague Trial of Thaci, Co-Defendants Continues

Hashim Thaci (Beta/Armenija Zajmi Besevic)

Former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Hashim Thaci’s trial for war crimes in Albania and Kosovo in 1998-99 continues on Aug. 14 before the Kosovo Special Chambers in The Hague. Standing trial alongside Kosovo’s ex-president are Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, who were also part of the KLA’s senior command.

The indictment charges Thaci (54), Veseli (55), Selimi (52) and Krasniqi (72) with war crimes committed against an estimated 407 victims held at 42 illegal KLA detention centers in Kosovo and Albania between March 1998 and September 1999. At least 98 of the prisoners were murdered.

So far, the prosecution has revealed the identities of 75 victims: 51 Serbs, 23 Albanians, and one Roma. The identities of a further 25 victims will be made public during the court proceedings.

In the period cited in the indictment, the defendants were members of the KLA top command. Thaci was political commissioner, and later commander, Veseli was chief intelligence officer, Selimi was chief operative, while Krasniqi was second-in-command and spokesman. In Kosovo’s interim government declared in March 1999, Thaci held the position of prime minister, Veseli was minister of intelligence affairs, Selimi was interior minister and Krasniqi was spokesman.

All of the defendants were arrested in Kosovo on Nov. 4 and 5, 2020, and have since remained at The Hague Penitentiary Institution in Scheveningen.