The special confirms Haxhiu's letter on Thaçi's case

The Special Court in The Hague has confirmed that it has received a letter from the Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, regarding the non-permission of former President Hashim Thaçi to attend his father's funeral, KosovaPress reports.

But the court did not provide details.

“We confirm that the Specialist Chambers have received a letter from the Kosovo Ministry of Justice on this matter. We do not provide details of our correspondence unless it becomes part of a public file,” the court said in a response.

On March 17, Haxhiu announced that he would address a letter to the President of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Ekatarina Trendafilova.

"Judicial processes must be fair and based on respect for the most basic human rights. There is nothing more humane than attending a parent's funeral," Haxhiu wrote, considering it absurd not to allow Thaçi to attend the funeral ceremony.

Luka Misetic, lawyer for former President Hashim Thaçi, announced that Thaçi had made a request on Monday before 14:00 PM to attend his father's funeral on Tuesday.

“The court is not able to provide information on any specific request or decision regarding Thaçi,” the Special Court said in a statement on Tuesday.

This, according to the court, "is because a detainee's requests and decisions on those requests are initially always confidential for reasons that include privacy and operational security."

Hashim Thaçi's father, Haxhi Thaçi, died late Sunday. He was hospitalized at the University Clinical Center after being in serious health condition.

On Thursday, he was visited by Hashim Thaçi, who was granted permission to visit by the Special Court, which is trying alleged war crimes, KosovaPress reports.

After a visit lasting about three hours under strict security measures, Thaçi returned to The Hague - the Dutch city where this court is headquartered.

Hashim Thaçi is facing a protracted trial before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers – known as the Special Court.

He has been in detention since November 2020 on charges of alleged war crimes, KosovaPress writes.

His trial began in April 2023.

Along with Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi are also being tried. The former KLA leaders have pleaded not guilty to all counts of the indictment.