Live update

The Prosecution’s 124^th witness Naim Maloku resumes his testimony this morning. After the SPO and the Thaçi Defence, the Counsel for Kadri Veseli is now putting questions to the witness.

Witness Naim Maloku resumes his testimony that started yesterday. He is still being examined by the Prosecution. 

Naim Maloku is the new SPO witness, whose testimony commenced this afternoon. According to the SPO summary in court, this witness occupied various roles in the KLA during the relevant period, including in the Operational Directorate of the General Staff. This is the 124^th SPO witness in court so far.

Please be informed that the trial will resume at 12:15 (at 13:00 in the online stream), not at 14:30 as we announced before.

As announced by the Presiding Judge, the trial will be on a break until 14:30 (or until 15:15 in the online stream) to allow the Defence Counsel to consult with their clients on a certain matter.

As indicated in our Court Calendar, the trial in the case against Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi is scheduled to resume this morning at 09:00 (or at 09:45 in the online stream). Click here to watch the broadcast in English.

Due to compelling humanitarian grounds, the Trial Panel and the Pre-trial Judge have instructed the Registry to manage a custodial visit to Kosovo for Hashim Thaçi to pay his respects and be with immediate family. The accused remains in detention and in the custody of the Specialist Chambers. This is Mr. Thaci’s fourth custodial visit to Kosovo. So far, fourteen such visits by detainees to Kosovo have been ordered by the judges of the Specialist Chambers and managed by the court.

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

The KSC has received several questions from journalists and members of the public following the death of Hashim Thaci’s father about whether Mr. Thaci will be permitted to visit Kosovo, as he was permitted to do last week when he visited the hospital, and on two earlier occasions.

Keenly aware of the importance of being with family in situations like this, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers legal framework allows detainees to request a visit to Kosovo on compelling humanitarian grounds. The judges adopted this rule based on international human rights law, including Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

So far, thirteen such visits by detainees to Kosovo have been ordered by the judges of the Specialist Chambers and managed by the court, for example for a detainee to visit a sick relative or to pay their respects and spend time with close family members after the death of a relative.

When a detainee makes a request of this nature, the judge or judges dealing with the case assess all of the circumstances at the time that the request was made with the urgency and compassion that situations such as this one require. They decide based on the KSC’s legal framework and international human rights standards.

At the moment, the court is not able to provide information about any specific request or decision in relation to Mr. Thaci. This is because requests by a detainee and the decisions on those requests are always initially confidential for reasons that include privacy and operational security. After a humanitarian visit is completed, the judges typically reclassify these documents so that the public can be informed in more detail. It is also important to emphasize that while such visits, when ordered by the judges, are organized as quickly as possible, this can take some time, requiring close coordination with a number of actors, and complex logistical arrangements, including flights and security.

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