Thaci remains in custody: Judge in Hague rejects request for his temporary release

Photo: Tanjug/AP

The judge for previous procedure of the Specialist Chambers of Kosovo, based in The Hague, rejected the request lodged by the defense attorneys of the former commander-in-chief of the so-called KLA, and former president of so-called Kosovo Hashim Thaci for his temporary release.

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The judge made the same decision regarding the requests filed by defense attorneys for Rexhep Selimi, Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, who, together with Thaci, stand accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. The decisions were announced today by the court in The Hague.

The judge believes that only detention can eliminate the risks of flight, obstruction of proceedings, influencing witnesses and committing further crimes, the decision states, among other things.

The defendants' defense attorneys requested their release from custody and the right to be free during the proceedings, offering guarantees that they would not escape, seeking replacement of custody with house arrest and other measures, but the judge found that this was not enough.

Thaci and the others were arrested in early November 2020. He had previously resigned as president of so-called Kosovo and surrendered to The Hague based court.

All four former bosses of the so-called KLA havr been charged with a number of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed across 40 locations where people were illegally imprisoned, tortured and killed, and face sentences that can go up to life in prison if found guilty.

The indictment alleges that the crimes were committed between March 1998 and September 1999 in several places in Kosovo, as well as in Kukes and Cahan, northern Albania.

According to the indictment, the acts were committed by KLA members against hundreds of civilians and persons who were not active participants in the hostilities.

The indictment alleges that Thaci, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi bear individual criminal responsibility, according to various forms of criminal responsibility, for crimes committed in the context of the non-international armed conflict in Kosovo, which were a part of a widespread and systematic attack on persons suspected of being against the so-called KLA.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)