Former Kosovo President Thaci tells Hague court he is ‘completely innocent’ in war crimes trial

By Talha Ozturk

SARAJEVO, Bosnia Herzegovina (AA) - Hashim Thaci, former president of Kosovo, standing trial in The Hague, told judges he is “completely innocent” as proceedings near conclusion at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

“You have listened to the prosecution’s accusations in this courtroom for nearly three years. You have also heard the truth. There is only one truth. I am completely innocent,” Thaci said in his closing statement before the court on Wednesday.

The trial, held at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in the Netherlands, involves Thaci and former senior figures of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), including Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli, and Rexhep Selimi.

The initial indictment against the four was confirmed on Oct. 26, 2020.

They are charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution, imprisonment, and torture, allegedly committed during and immediately after the 1998-1999 Kosovo war. Prosecutors have requested 45-year prison sentences for each defendant.

Thaci rejected the allegations, saying that at the outbreak of the war, he was a student in Switzerland and not preparing to seize control in Kosovo, as alleged by the prosecution.

He argued that “control and power” at the time were in the hands of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, whom he accused of orchestrating repression in Kosovo.

Thaci said he was proud of his participation in the resistance and denied accusations that KLA members were involved in organ trafficking, describing such claims as propaganda.

He also said he had called on Serbs to remain in their homes and build a shared future with Kosovars, adding that his only “power” during the war was his voice, which he said he used to promote a multiethnic and tolerant society.

- Kosovo Specialist Chambers

The special court, known as the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, and the Special Prosecutor's Office were established in The Hague in 2011.

It was established to investigate and prosecute war crimes alleged to have been committed in Kosovo between 1998 and 2000. It consists of international judges and prosecutors.

Since the beginning of 2019, the Special Prosecutor's Office has invited dozens of former KLA members to testify.

The first indictment that was approved on Oct. 26, 2020, against former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, who is charged with war crimes, along with three other defendants, said they were responsible for the deaths of 100 victims.

The court has found former KLA commander Salih Mustafa guilty of war crimes and KLA War Veterans Association executives Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj guilty of publishing private court documents.

The KLA was founded by Kosovo Albanians in the 1990s to oppose Yugoslav forces and lead Kosovo to an independent country.

Kosovo declared its unilateral independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, 2008, but Serbia still sees Kosovo as its "own territory."