Veseli pleads "not guilty" to Hague indictment: "I am not guilty on any count"

Former head of the intelligence service of the terrorist KLA ("Kosovo Liberation Army") paramilitaries Kadri Veseli was brought before the judge for previous procedure of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague for the first time, in order to get acquainted with the indictment and enter his plea.

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Dan Emmerson and another defender of Kadri Veseli were involved in the proceedings, the former via video stream, while the latter was in the courtroom.

"I heard the accusations and I read them, let me say with full conviction that I am not guilty on any count of the indictment," he said.

The judge announced that no evidence regarding the counts in the indictment would be presented during Tuesday's court appearance.

"Honorable court, yes, I heard the counts of the indictment," said Veseli.

A redacted indictment was read out to Veseli, charging him, along with Hashim Thaci, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi with various types of criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity, after which the judge asked him to make his plea.

Veseli was arrested on Thursday, November 5, after which he was transferred from Pristina to The Hague together with Thaci and Selimi, and placed in custody.

Yesterday, Thaci and Krasniqi pleaded not guilty to the charges against them raised by the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor.

The 10-count indictment covers, among other things, 98 murders, 18 known victims of enforced disappearances and more than 416 illegal detentions, carried out either on their orders or with their help, support or knowledge.

(Telegraf.rs)