Prosecution: Zone commanders complained to Thaçi, Selimi and Veseli

The Specialized Prosecutor's Office has concluded its statement in the Special. The Prosecution has emphasized that commanders, such as Sami Lushtaku and Sylejman Selimi, addressed complaints to Hashim Thaçi, Rexhep Selim and Kadri Veseli. After the conclusion of the Prosecution's statement, the victim's advocate spoke, who said that the victims suffered great consequences from the crimes for which the defendants are accused.

Area Commanders reported to the General Staff and presented their observations to them when making decisions without consulting them at all, said prosecutor Matthew Halling in the closing statement of the Specialist Prosecutor's Office.

In his final statement in the trial of the former leaders of the KLA General Staff, Halling said that the commanders of the Drenica area, Sami Lushtaku and Sylejman Selimi, addressed Rexhep Selim, Hashim Thaçi and Kadri Veseli during the war when expressing complaints, and this proves that they were leaders.

"If we look at these notes, it is seen that the Zone Commanders complain about both Sokol Bashota (who is not up to the task) and Jakup Krasniqi (respected, but not the right person for the position he has as deputy commander) and it is worrying for them how the General Staff has ignored their requests regarding them. They should have been consulted, this is their complaint. And who is to blame for ignoring their requests and not consulting them? Sami Lushtaku makes it clear: Rexhep Selimi, Hashim Thaçi and Kadri Veseli are responsible for this situation," said Halling.  

Halling said that former member of the General Staff, Sokol Bashota, has made a statement that even the defense may not believe, when he said that Thaçi became part of the General Staff in '98.

He emphasized that the evidence in the Prosecution's file and Thaçi's statement to the prosecution show that he participated in the founding meeting of the KLA, where Adem Jashari, Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi were also present.

The victims' lawyer also testified at the hearing, indicating that 84 relatives of the murder victims participated in the process.

“We have addressed the arbitrary nature of the detentions and the killings were no less arbitrary in themselves and no less excusable. We have 84 victims who were relatives of the murder victims who were participants in this court case. Within this group, 20 victims are relatives of persons who have disappeared and for this the prosecution has brought charges. 66 others have had loved ones imprisoned and have never been seen again or have ultimately disappeared and no charges of enforced disappearance have been brought against them. What connects all these victims, regardless of whether they are Serbs or Kosovo Albanians or whether they are victims of enforced disappearance or whether they are part of the victims of murder or detention: What connects them is that they have suffered in a certain way. They do not know what happened to their loved ones, why it happened,” said victims’ advocate Simon Laws.

In addition to trauma, Laws also highlighted victims whose lives were permanently changed as a reason for the ban.

"For the prisoners who survived, families had to live with different consequences. In the case of witness 04733 for example, it meant that the family welcomed a wounded person, a person who would never work again, who would never be mentally at peace after the horrific experience of detention," Laws said.

After two days of presenting the closing arguments of the Prosecution and the Victims' Advocate, the defense of former President Hashim Thaçi begins presenting its testimony on Wednesday.