The Hague Chambers Deny Thaci’s Motion for Amending Indictment

Hashim Thaci (Photo: PrintScreen YouTube)

The Specialist Chambers in The Hague denied on July 16 the motion of former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Hashim Thaci and three co-defendants, for the dismissal of some of the counts of the indictment charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Kosovo and Albania in 1998 and 1999.

Together with Thaci, the accused for the crimes against “collaborationist” Albanians, Serbs and Roma in more than 40 detention units of the KLA, are Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. All the accused were the leading members of the KLA main command and of the self-proclaimed transitional government of Kosovo.

After the prosecution completed the two-year presentation of evidence in the case in mid-April, the defense submitted a joint confidential motion in mid-July, for the dismissal of some of the counts in the indictment. As presiding judge Charles Smith stated on July 16, the defense moved for the dismissal of all counts referring to the crimes committed before the end of May 1998 and after June 20, 1999. The defense claims that this was the period in which the conflict in Kosovo took place.

The indictment includes crimes of KLA members committed between March 1998 and September 1999 – the time of the armed conflict in Kosovo according to the prosecution.

While explaining the chamber’s decision to dismiss the motion of the defense, Judge Smith said that, according to the rules of the court, the accused may only seek the dismissal of entire counts in the indictment that they believe have not been proven, and not of certain accusations or “material facts,” as the defense of Thaci, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi have done.