Overview
- Prosecutor Kimberly West urged judges to convict Hashim Thaci and three ex-KLA commanders, arguing they directed a campaign to seize control of Kosovo.
- Charges include persecution, murder, torture and forced disappearances during and after the 1998–99 conflict, with claims of over 100 killings and hundreds abused at roughly 50 KLA-run sites in Kosovo and northern Albania.
- Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi plead not guilty; defense lawyers say Thaci lacked authority over KLA military units, with defense closings expected Wednesday.
- The Kosovo Specialist Chambers is staffed by international judges; prosecutors cited attempts to influence testimony, and a separate witness-intimidation case against Thaci is due to open later this month after 2022 convictions of veterans’ leaders for intimidation.
- In Kosovo, protests continue and a party-organized march timed to independence day is planned in support of the defendants, reflecting widespread belief among supporters that the tribunal is biased.