PRISTINA – The Specialist Chambers in the Hague have confirmed the postponement of the deadline for the announcement of the verdict for former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Kransiqi and Rexhep Selimi.
According to Gazeta Express, Special Spokesperson Angela Griep said that 20 July is the deadline by which the court can announce the verdict, while saying that the possibility of a further extension is open if necessary.
“Yes, the Trial Panel has issued a decision to extend the deadline for the announcement of the Judgment for another 60 days, until Monday, 20 July 2026, due to the complexity of the case. This date is not the date of the announcement of the judgment, but only the date of the extended deadline. The Trial Panel added that, if a further extension becomes absolutely necessary, it will issue a corresponding order in due course,” she said.
The verdict was scheduled to be announced on 19 May, Gazeta Express reminds.
The four defendants gave their final statements in February of this year, pleading not guilty.
Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi, and Krasniqi are accused of committing crimes against Serbs, Roma, and Albanians deemed “collaborators,” in approximately 40 KLA detention facilities in Kosovo, as well as in Kukës and Cahan in northern Albania, from March 1998 to November 1999.
The chief prosecutor specified that the defendants are responsible for the deaths of at least 100 victims and the abuse of hundreds of others.
In the defence closing arguments in February, Luka Mišetić, Thaçi’s attorney, said that “Thaçi is innocent”, adding that the judges should issue an acquittal “as the prosecutor’s office did not prove the charges”.
