TIRANA, February 9 – The final phase of the largest trial at the Kosova Specialist Chambers in The Hague began today.

Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi have been in pretrial detention since November 2020. They face charges brought by the Office of the Specialist Prosecutor, which they and their defense teams have rejected. The defense argued that the KLA did not have an organized command structure.

Prosecutors, defense teams, and the accused will have the opportunity to make their final submissions to the judges in this trial.

The trial began on April 3, 2023, nearly three years after the indictment was confirmed. This year is expected to be decisive for the four former KLA leaders, who have now spent five years in pretrial detention.

The Specialist Chambers are part of Kosova’s judicial system but operate with international staff in The Hague, Netherlands.

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