Political opinions in the Hague Prosecutor's file

“Hashim Thaçi obstructed and dragged out political negotiations and imposed conditions for cooperation.” This is not the wording of a diplomat’s report, but one of the reasons why the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office has requested 45 years in prison for the former member of the KLA General Staff.

In the part where the SPO presents its arguments for the severity of the sentence, it also discusses the way Thaçi interacted with internationals nine years before Kosovo declared independence. 

The prosecution asked the court not to take seriously the tributes that Thaçi paid to the victims, including the Serb ones. 

“Furthermore, no alleged peace efforts can be considered as a mitigating circumstance. In particular, Thaçi actively obstructed and dragged out political negotiations, setting conditions for cooperation. In addition, his public statements regarding a multi-ethnic society were opportunistic, lacking credible action, and aimed at advancing his personal goals,” the final SPO dossier states.

This file states that the defendants Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi have shown no remorse. It requests 45 years in prison for each defendant, as according to the ZPS, they have no mitigating circumstances.

“At no point, even 25 years after the crimes occurred, did Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi express sincere remorse. A witness said that THAÇI expressed [REDACTED].6531 This statement, which is essentially limited to [REDACTED], without a personal apology, cannot be considered a mitigating circumstance,” the file states. 

The ZPS file states that Thaçi visited Lahi Brahimaj in Jabllanicë, where, according to the prosecution, mistreatment was occurring openly. 

Krasniqi is said to have contacted Bislim Zyrap and Rrahman Rama about the detention of five elderly Serbs in the Shala area and also about two others in the Pashtrik area.

Based on the prosecution's file, the war crimes convict, Sabit Geci, was responding to Kadri Veseli. 
According to the SPO, Veseli personally transferred an ill-treated person to Klecke, was also frequently present at this center and had the authority to order the release of detainees.

Meanwhile, for Selimi, the prosecution file states that he himself admitted that he was easily accessible to zone commanders and moved a lot from one zone to another.

The verdict in the biggest case in The Hague is expected to be announced this summer. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty, and among other things, the charges have been described as political.