The Office of the Specialized Prosecutor has announced that the president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, and the chairman of the PDK, Kadri Veseli, are the first two defendants who will appear before the Special Court in The Hague.
In the press release, it is noted that on April 24, 2020, the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor (SPO) presented to the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo (DHSK) an indictment with ten points for review by the Court, where Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli and others are accused for a series of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including unlawful killing, forced disappearance of persons, persecution and torture.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support Contribute"The Indictment claims that Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli and other suspects are criminally responsible for approximately 100 illegal murders. The crimes presented in the Indictment involve hundreds of identified Kosovo Albanian, Serb and Roma victims and political opponents. The indictment is only a criminal complaint which is the result of a long investigation and proves the determination of the ZPS that it can prove all the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. A pre-trial judge of the DHSK is reviewing the indictment to decide whether to confirm the charges," the statement said.
The Specialized Prosecutor considers it necessary to issue this public announcement about the charges, due to, as stated in the statement, the repeated efforts of Hashim Thaçi and Kadri Veseli to obstruct and sabotage the work of the DHSK.
"It is believed that Mr. Thaçi and Mr. Veseli have secretly undertaken a campaign to repeal the law that created the Court and have otherwise hindered the work of the Court in their efforts to uphold justice. Through these actions, Mr. Thaçi and Mr. Veseli have put their personal interests above the victims of their crimes, the rule of law and the people of Kosovo", the announcement states.
President Hashim Thaçi, together with Kadri Veseli and Ramush Haradinaj, tried to abolish the Special at the end of 2017 through the Assembly of Kosovo. The initiative of midnight hours was opposed by LDK and VV, then in opposition. After international pressure and the threat that they will be isolated, apart from the USA, the three former leaders of the state were pushed back from the city of deputies to abolish the Special. Later, Haradinaj said that they wanted to abolish the Special because of the fear that they will also be subject to it. Two of the protagonists - Ramush Haradinaj and Kadri Veseli have already been interviewed as suspects.
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