The trial of Hashim Thaçi in The Hague has entered its final phase, after more than 33 months of examining evidence and hearing hundreds of witnesses. In its 304-page closing brief, the defense argued that no convincing evidence was presented throughout the process that would prove his responsibility for the charges brought.
According to her, the testimonies of 265 witnesses, including senior international officials, have confirmed that he did not have a command role or effective control over KLA structures and was not involved in detentions or illegal actions.
The Specialist Chambers have published the final defense case file of former President Hashim Thaçi, who is being tried in The Hague along with Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi.
According to the 304-page file, the defense has emphasized that every piece of evidence presented during the 33-month trial proves that Thaçi is innocent and that Dick Marty's claims were merely the product of a Russian disinformation campaign.
In fact, according to the defense, none of the prosecution witnesses said that Thaçi was responsible.
“The body has been presented with evidence from 265 witnesses. None of them has testified that they received a binding order from Thaçi and acted in accordance with it, or that they were prevented from acting or punished by him, or that they considered themselves under his effective control. There is a large amount of evidence that raises reasonable doubt about any of these claims. The ambiguity of the SPO’s case is deliberate. Thaçi is not responsible as a superior and the SPO itself could not argue otherwise, weakening their claim to command from the outset.”
In this way, the defense has repeated its request to the trial panel regarding Hashim Thaçi.
"The panel is asked to declare Thaçi innocent on all counts of the indictment and order his immediate release."
As for the defense witnesses, the final file states that Thaçi has been acquitted of all charges brought against him, which was also supported by international witnesses.
“The panel heard from a range of senior international officials, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, a spokesperson for the US State Department, senior British and American diplomats, and the second-highest-ranking UN official on the ground. All of these have interacted with Hashim Thaçi and have had access to the most detailed diplomatic and intelligence information available. All have concluded that Thaçi was a political figure with no military role within the KLA, no command and control over it, and no known connection to the detention of civilians, or the ability or obligation to stop the violence after the war.”
Considering all the evidence and witnesses throughout this lengthy process, the defense emphasizes that the Specialist Prosecutor's Office has presented no convincing evidence that the KLA in general, and Hashim Thaçi in particular, ever had a plan to gain or exercise control over all of Kosovo.
"The ZPS's attempt to rewrite this history, to transform a liberation war supported by the world's leading democracies into a joint criminal enterprise, is not supported by the facts. Hashim Thaçi's life and career have been dedicated to the freedom and independence of Kosovo."
Therefore, ultimately, according to the defense, declaring Hashim Thaçi innocent would be a fair conclusion to this verdict constructed, according to them, in the absence of evidence, RTK reports.
After the completion of the presentation of evidence and closing arguments by all parties, the trial against Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selim is now in its final phase: awaiting the announcement of the final first instance decision.
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