The trial of former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army is entering its final phase today, with the start of closing statements in the trial against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selim and Jakup Krasniqi.
After the completion of the presentation of evidence and testimony by the Prosecution and Defense, this phase marks the last step before the final decision of the trial panel at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
Closing statements are scheduled to be held during the period February 9-18, where the Prosecution will initially have the floor, to be followed by the defense teams of the accused, while at the end the accused are also expected to speak, if they decide to make a statement.
In an official announcement, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers announced that all preparations for this important phase of the trial have been completed.
"All confirmations have been sent to those who will attend the closing statement session at the DHSK facility in the trial of Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selim and Jakup Krasniqi, which is scheduled to be held on February 9-13," the Special Court announced.
The DHSK also announced that interest in attending the sessions was extremely high, while seats for the public were limited.
"We have tried to accommodate all requests to sit in the public gallery as much as possible, however, interest in attending the sessions was high and therefore seats in the public gallery were limited," the announcement further states.
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, former parliamentarians Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, and former MP Rexhep Selimi have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
They are accused of criminal acts that constitute war crimes: unlawful or arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful killings, and crimes against humanity: imprisonment, other inhumane acts, enforced disappearance of persons and persecution.
The final phase of the trial is considered crucial, as after it the panel will retire for review and then announce the verdict, which is expected to have major political and social repercussions in Kosovo and beyond. /Telegraph/
