Kosovo Specialist Chambers in the Hague has denied the applications for interim release of ex-KLA leaders, Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi accused by the Hague-based court of committing war crimes, reported gazeta express on Wednesday.
The pre-trial judge, Nicolas Guillou, in separate decisions has denied the applications filed by defense counsel of the accused. The Specialist Prosecutor, Jack Smith, in his respective submissions alleged that the accused should not be granted interim release commission of further offences, flight risk and potential interference with witnesses or of the obstruction of proceedings.
On 30 November 2020, a Pre-Trial Judge of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers has made public the decision confirming the indictment against Thaci, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi. Following their arrests by the Specialist Prosecutor on 4 and 5 November, ex-KLA leaders were transferred to the Detention Facilities of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in The Hague on 4 and 5 November.
The indictment, states that the war crimes of illegal or arbitrary arrest and detention, cruel treatment, torture, and murder, and the crimes against humanity of imprisonment, other inhumane acts, torture, murder, enforced disappearance of persons, and persecution were committed from at least March 1998 through September 1999.
The indictment, as confirmed, alleges that Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi are individually criminally responsible, under various forms of responsibility, for the crimes charged, which were committed in the context of a non-international armed conflict in Kosovo and were part of a widespread and systematic attack against persons suspected of being opposed to the KLA, said gazeta express.
