Skip to content
UÇKHistory and Memory

Analytical profile · Researchers · Witnesses in court proceedings

Paul R. Williams

Paul R. Williams is an American international lawyer, co-founder of the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) and a professor at American University. In 1999 he was legal adviser to the Kosovo Albanian delegation at Rambouillet. In September 2025 he testified as a defence witness for Hashim Thaçi.

Living person — personal information is deliberately limited.

Source basis

Prishtina Insight court reporting and the official PILPG biography.

Williams worked as an attorney-adviser at the US State Department and in 1995 co-founded PILPG, which provides pro bono legal assistance to parties in peace negotiations. At Rambouillet he advised the Kosovo Albanian delegation [1] [2].

On 18–19 September 2025 he testified for Thaçi's defence. According to court reporting, he said the KLA had no proper military command structure, that Thaçi could not decide without the approval of the zone commanders and that at Rambouillet he was squeezed between the demands of Madeleine Albright, Adem Demaçi and the commanders; in his words it became "crystal clear" that the zone commanders had to be part of the process [2].

Sources

  1. [1]Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG). Dr. Paul R. Williams — Biography. https://www.publicinternationallawandpolicygroup.org/dr-paul-r-williams-bio. Accessed 2026-09-18.
  2. [2]Prishtina Insight (BIRN Kosovo). Hashim Thaci 'Lacked Decision-Making Authority' During Kosovo War: Trial Witness. 2025-09-18. https://prishtinainsight.com/hashim-thaci-lacked-decision-making-authority-during-kosovo-war-trial-witness/. Accessed 2026-09-18.

Editorial status: Awaiting verificationDrafted from the cited sources; not yet fully reviewed by the editors.

Last reviewed:

Report an inaccuracy