Live update

As mentioned during today’s Defence Preparation Conference, the court schedule for the Thaçi et al. trial has been updated and is now available until the end of 2025. The full schedule can be seen in our online Court Calendar.
Further on scheduling matters, Trial Panel II confirmed today that the Defence case will commence on 15 September 2025 and announced that there will be no hearing on 25 September, as previously scheduled.
 

The Pre-Trial Judge in the case against Thaçi et al. for charges related to the administration of justice issued her decision regarding the SPO’s request to modify Hashim Thaçi’s detention conditions. Judge Masselot partially granted the request, adopting certain restrictions to Thaçi’s non-privileged visits by specific individuals mentioned in the decision, whose public redacted version was filed on 18 August 2025. The remainder of the SPO motion was rejected. The new restrictions will be reviewed by the Judge for necessity every three months.

Following the Trial Panel’s rejection of their provisional release requests we informed earlier, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi filed appeals with the Court of Appeals Panel. On 13 August 2025, the Court of Appeals Panel dismissed all three appeals. The decisions are available via this link. 

On 8 August 2025, the Supreme Court Panel rejected Pjetër Shala’s motion for an extension of time and word limit for his request for protection of legality. As set out in the decision, the Panel found that the statutory deadline in the KSC Law for filing such a request cannot be varied and that Shala had not demonstrated good cause or exceptional circumstances to justify an increase in the word limit. 
 
Under the Law, the deadline for filing a request for protection of legality is within three months of the final judgment, which in this case was rendered on 14 July 2025.
 

Following the Trial Panel’s latest scheduling decision, the updated court schedule for the Thaçi et al. trial—covering August to October 2025—is now available on our online calendar. At this moment, no hearings, apart from the Defence Preparation Conference, are scheduled in August, while trial sessions are planned for the second half of September, as well as 1 and 2 October.

As announced in our Calendar, the summer court recess at the KSC begins on Monday, 28 July and ends on 15 August 2025. During this period, no hearings are held and some non-essential services are reduced to a minimum. However, the court remains fully functional during this period and work continues across all sections of the KSC. Filings are possible during the recess and, unless otherwise ordered by the judges, judicial deadlines continue running.

On 25 July 2025, Trial Panel II issued an order setting 15 September 2025 as the intended start date for the Defence case. The date will be confirmed at the Defence Preparation Conference scheduled for 19 August 2025.

Additionally, the Panel issued further directions on matters such as revised exhibit lists and disclosure deadlines. These details are set out in the full decision available here. 
 

On 25 July 2025, Judge Marjorie Masselot, the Pre-Trial Judge in the case against Thaçi, Smakaj, Kilaj, Fazliu, and Kuçi, ordered the SPO to file its pre-trial brief, along with a list of witnesses and proposed exhibits, by 19 September 2025. The Judge also informed the Defence that she intends to set 20 October 2025 as the deadline for any Defence pre-trial briefs.
In addition, both the SPO and the Defence were directed to make submissions on a number of procedural matters. These details are outlined in the decision available here.

On 25 July 2025, President Ekaterina Trendafilova assigned a Supreme Court Panel to decide on Pjetër Shala’s motion seeking an extension of time and word limit for his request for protection of legality. Judges Ekaterina Trendafilova (presiding), Christine van den Wyngaert, and Daniel Fransen will decide on this motion and, once filed, on the request for protection of legality itself as well as any related matter.

Here is the transcript of today's KSC Weekly Press Briefing.