Specialist Chambers in The Hague extend detention of Thaci and Veseli

Photo: Tanjug/AP

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers ("special court") in The Hague has extended the detention for the leaders of the former so-called KLA ("Kosovo Liberation Army") Hashim Thaci and Kadri Veseli, who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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The explanation of the decision states that the panel concluded that, if they were to be released, there would be a flight risk or influence witnesses and interfere with the work of the court, writes Pristina-based Reporteri.

Thaci and Veseli have been in judicial custody in Scheveningen since November 2020, when they were arrested in Kosovo and Metohija.

They are on trial together with other leaders of the so-called KLA, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi.

On September 30, 2022, the Specialist Prosecutor's Office filed a confirmed amended indictment against the four, in 10 counts, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in illegal detention centers the so-called KLA was running in Kosovo and Metohija and in Albania.

They are accused of illegal detention, torture and murder.

The indictment states that the war crimes and crimes against humanity they are accused of were committed in the period from March 1998 to September 1999 in at least 42 illegal detention centers of the so-called KLA in Kosovo and Metohija and in Albania. The victims were at least 407 people, of whom at least 98 were murdered.

The prosecutor's office in The Hague announced earlier that there are more than 300 witnesses who will give statements during these court proceeding.

During 1998 and 1999, the so-called KLA committed numerous crimes, murders and kidnappings, targetting members of the Army of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and of the Serbian police, as well as Serb and other non-Albanian civilians, but also ethnic Albanians who did not accept to be KLA's helpers or members.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)