One of the most important cases related to the Kosovo war began this Monday in The Hague. At the defendant’s office President of the Special Court of Kosovo sat Hashim Thacialso known as snake In his armed days, he was the former prime minister and former president of Kosovo, but above all the former guerrilla leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK, short for Kosovo). The prosecution describes him as: bloodthirsty who is guilty of war crimes. He’s in denial.
The list of accusations against Thaçi is impressive. Kosovar politician charged as criminal four war crimes and six crimes against humanityincluding torture, cruel treatment, inhuman acts, persecution, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and the killing of at least one hundred persons among them. end of March 1998 and 1999. Along with Thaci, they also face the case, whose trial will likely continue throughout the year. Other important political figures in KosovoSuch as Kadri Veseli, former speaker of the Kosovo Parliament, Jakup Krasniqi, chairman of the National Council of the Social Democratic Initiative party, and Rexhep Selimi, chairman of the opposition parliamentary group Vetevendosje, which currently rules Kosovo.
“These four men were without a doubt UCK’s top executives and that is why they are celebrated and honored,” said Prosecutor Alex Whiting. But his leadership had a darker side,” he said. Thaçi, who came to the appointment in a gray suit and blue tie, replied, “I am not guilty at all”.
Events date back to the bloodiest period of the Kosovo conflict. disintegration of Yugoslavia and escalated into a major ethnic conflict between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians. This period actually increased the UCK attacks against the Serbian army stationed in Kosovo and also bombing of Belgrade An attack by NATO that divided Western societies but ultimately stopped the harsh retaliation of Serbian forces against the Kosovar Albanian community in Kosovo. Thaci became Officially charged in 2020 and the final version of his accusatory judgment was issued last February.
Civilian casualties
According to the prosecution, the crimes were committed in various parts of Kosovo, as well as in Kukës and Cahan in northern Albania. In the decision, especially Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi “hundreds of civilians and people who were not part of hostilities”, as recalled by the prosecution. The three were “part of a widespread and systematic attack Against persons suspected of opposing the UCK” was added.
Some 140 witnesses There were some who were accepted to testify in the process, which also included the relatives of the victims and those who lost their lives. Many of them have already been heard in a special way. protection regime, for security reasons. Thaci has been awaiting this trial in a prison in The Hague since 2020.
years to try
The most important case ever heard by the Special Court of Kosovo, Started working in 2017starts between discussions. Secondly, it comes from some Kosovo non-governmental organizations that have complained. No Serbian defendants He is among the defendants in four ongoing cases in The Hague. So much so that the first war crimes sentence given in December was given to former UCK commander Salih Mustafa.
The first person to cast doubt on Taci was the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). carla del ponteIn a 2008 book he published the inside information of the UN mission in Kosovo (Unmik), which talked about the crimes committed by the UCK. Thaci has repeatedly denied them, including one. report In 2014 with EL PERIÓDICO from the group Prensa Ibérica.