Specialist Prosecutor v. Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi

Outcome for each accused

Charges and alleged conduct

Charges

• Crimes against humanity: persecution, imprisonment, other inhumane acts, torture, murder, enforced disappearance — not guilty
• War crimes: illegal or arbitrary arrest and detention, cruel treatment, torture, murder — guilty (at first instance)

Findings

According to the official summary of the judgment of 16 September 2026, Trial Panel II found all four guilty, as participants in a joint criminal enterprise, of the arbitrary detention of at least 385 people, the cruel treatment of at least 49, the torture of at least 303 and the murder of 96 people at KLA-controlled sites in Kosovo and northern Albania, from April 1998 to 20 June 1999. The Panel found that the acts of violence amounted to a widespread and systematic attack, but that the prosecution did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that the attack was directed against a civilian population, because victims were selected mainly on individual grounds; all crimes-against-humanity counts therefore failed. Incidents that began after 20 June 1999 could not qualify as war crimes. The Panel also named other persons as members of the enterprise who were not on trial: no finding of guilt was made against them and they remain presumed innocent.

Witnesses

Most witnesses testified with protective measures and are never named in this archive. Only those who testified publicly, and whose names the court or the media made known, appear here. We wrote the summaries from the cited sources; they are not transcripts.

Testified in court

134

Called by the Prosecution

125

Called by Victims' Counsel

2

Called by the Defence

7

Written statements admitted

138

According to the official case page and Prishtina Insight reporting: about 70 witnesses were heard mostly in public session, about 64 mostly or entirely in closed session; 12 entirely in private session. The Prosecution had proposed more than 300 witnesses; the rest were admitted through written statements.

Public witnesses

• RM

  Prosecution witness

  Rrustem Mustafa («Remi»)

  Rrustem Mustafa, known as "Remi", was commander of the KLA's Llap Operational Zone in 1998–1999.

  Testified on: 11 July 2023, 17 July 2023

  The former Llap Operational Zone commander said the KLA worked "bottom-up" without a complete chain of command, that General Staff orders were treated as suggestions and that communiqués contained propaganda; he denied systematic abuse under his command. The Prosecution challenged his claim that Staff members were outside Kosovo [1] [2].

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• FL

  Prosecution witness

  Frank Ledwidge

  Frank Ledwidge is a British lawyer and war-studies scholar, a former military intelligence officer and former OSCE human-rights officer who in 1998–1999 investigated missing-persons cases in the Rahovec area.

  Testified on: 18 July 2023, 19 July 2023

  The former OSCE official and British intelligence officer testified about investigating some 45 missing persons, mostly Serbs, around Rahovec in July 1998, and said the KLA showed "a level of organisation and coordination" in seizing civilians; he also found the remains of about 150 Albanian civilians killed by Serbian forces [3].

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• BZ

  Prosecution witness

  Bislim Zyrapi

  Bislim Zyrapi, a former Yugoslav People's Army officer who served in the Bosnian Army (1992–1994), came to Kosovo in May 1998 and was chief of the KLA General Staff from November 1998 to April 1999.

  Testified on: 1 July 2024, 18 July 2024

  The former chief of the General Staff explained the Staff's structure and said it tried to turn the KLA into a regular army but was often not informed of the zones' actions; he said the accused had not asked for individual arrests and that communiqués exaggerated the KLA's strength [4].

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• FG

  Prosecution witness

  Fadil Geci

  Fadil Geci, a former KLA fighter and former LDK member, is the brother of Gani Geci, whom KLA General Staff Communiqué No.

  Testified on: 21 October 2024

  The former KLA fighter said Communiqué No. 59, which labelled his brother a collaborator, had been authored by Thaçi, that two friends were killed and two brothers wounded afterwards, and described threats by Thaçi and Selimi and the arrest of LDK assembly members near Qirez in September 1998 [5] [6].

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• 

  Defence witness · for the defence of Hashim Thaçi

  James P. Rubin

  James P.

  Testified on: 15 September 2025

  The former State Department spokesman said Thaçi had no decision-making authority over fighters, that real power lay with the zone commanders and that his role was political, "like a foreign minister"; during his service up to 2000 he had seen no credible evidence of crimes by KLA leaders [7].

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• PR

  Defence witness · for the defence of Hashim Thaçi

  Paul R. Williams

  Paul R.

  Testified on: 18 September 2025, 19 September 2025

  The legal adviser to the Albanian delegation at Rambouillet said the KLA had no proper command structure, that Thaçi could not decide without the zone commanders' approval and that in the negotiations he was squeezed between Albright, Demaçi and the commanders [8].

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• 

  Defence witness · for the defence of Hashim Thaçi

  Wesley K. Clark

  Wesley K.

  Testified on: 17 November 2025, 18 November 2025

  The former NATO supreme commander described the KLA as local groups of fighters without real command and control, said Thaçi "clearly wasn't in charge" of the fighters and that he had no evidence of organised KLA violence against Serbs after June 1999; the Prosecution questioned his knowledge of KLA activity [9] [10].

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Procedural history

1. 26 October 2020Confirmed indictment

   The initial indictment is confirmed.

2. 5 November 2020Indictment made public

   The indictment is made public; the accused are arrested and transferred to The Hague (4–5 November 2020).

3. 29 April 2022Indictment amended

   Amended indictment with additional allegations (detention sites in Suharekë, incidents in Gjilan).

4. 3 April 2023Trial opened

   The trial opens.

5. 15 April 2025Procedural step

   The prosecution closes its case.

6. 9 February 2026Closing statements

   Closing statements, 9–18 February 2026.

7. 16 September 2026Trial (first-instance) judgment

   All four found guilty of war crimes and not guilty of crimes against humanity; Thaçi 25, Krasniqi 25, Veseli 18, Selimi 13 years. Reparations remain pending.

   Official documents(opens in a new tab)