The former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, has officially reacted a day after the decision of the first instance in the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo in The Hague, which sentenced the four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) to a total of 81 years in prison. Through a statement shared on the X social network by his main lawyer, Thaçi expressed his thanks for the support received and announced that his defense team is preparing the official submission of the Notice of Appeal.
In his message to the public, the former head of state calls on citizens to maintain prudence in the face of this judicial development.
“Hashim Thaçi wishes to express his sincere gratitude for the great support that he, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi have received from the people of Kosovo and from the international community, and calls on the citizens of Kosovo to remain peaceful in response to yesterday’s injustice”it is emphasized in the post of his lawyer.
Thaç’s defense: Procedural violations, legal errors and lack of impartiality
The defense team of Mr. Thaçi announces that he will challenge the judgment before the Appeals Panel, claiming that the decision contains substantive violations that violated the right to a due process of law.
“Mr. Thaçi’s lawyers will appeal yesterday’s Judgment of the First Instance to the Appeal Panel of the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo (DHSK), claiming that there were significant errors in the law and in the facts, which violated the justice of the judicial process”explained in the statement.
According to the defense, during the entire session, serious concerns were raised about the interventions of the judging panel.
“The defense rests on the position that the judicial interventions have exceeded the limit of the neutral search for the truth, violating the impression of impartiality required by international standards of justice”further underlined, adding that the findings of guilt are based on insufficient evidence.
Concerns about the “Allaqi” case and confidential evidence
A key point in the defense response of Mr. Thaçi relates to the jury’s statements regarding specific charges, for which he claims that the evidence was kept out of public view. “Yesterday the Trial Panel publicly declared that Mr. Thaçi was involved in the murder of Behajdin Allaq, after previously ordering all parties in this case not to publicly discuss Mr. Allaq’s case in court hearings and after ordering that all evidence related to this case be kept confidential”quoted from the reaction.
The defense underlines that Mr. Thaçi categorically denies any involvement in this murder and that it is in his interest that every piece of information be subjected to a transparent review.
“Thus, the Trial Panel has publicly declared Mr. Thaçi guilty of murder, while the evidence on which this conclusion is based has been kept hidden from public review. Mr. Thaçi would welcome such a public review of the evidence.”, emphasizes Hashim Thaç’s Defense team.
The statement concludes with the warning that the defense will appeal the decisions for violations of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Constitution of Kosovo, considering the observance of procedural standards as essential for the credibility of international criminal justice.
