The Trial Panel has scheduled the pronouncement of the trial judgment in the case of the Specialist Prosecutor v. Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi for 16 September 2026 at 10:00 CET.
The hearing will be public and can be followed in Albanian, English or Serbian through the streaming page of the KSC website, or from the public gallery at the premises of the court.
In its scheduling order, the Trial Panel explained that the time needed for deliberations had been extended in line with rules due to the volume of evidence received and the complexity of the proceedings, and that it was justified by the need to ensure a fair, comprehensive and reasoned assessment of the evidentiary record.
To attend the hearing from the public gallery, pre-registration is required.
Journalists who would like to record the hearing from the media centre are also kindly asked to pre-register.
To pre-register, please send an email to [email protected] with your name, citizenship, date of birth and passport or ID number, subject line “Trial Judgment”.
Media are kindly asked to provide a scan of their press card and to indicate whether they wish to follow the hearing from the public gallery or from the media centre.
The deadline for pre-registration is Friday, 24 July 2026 at 18:00.
Please note that your place is only confirmed once you have received a confirmation email. Confirmation emails will be sent two weeks before the judgment.
The audio-visual recording of the pronouncement of the judgment will be made available on the KSC webpage and YouTube Channel.
Any journalists with questions may contact the Press Office at [email protected]. In addition, the spokespersons of the KSC hold a regular weekly online press briefing for journalists at 14:30 on Thursdays at which journalists can ask questions.
Any journalists wishing to join the press briefing online should write to [email protected] and we will send you the link.
Case History and Summary of Charges
The initial indictment against the four accused was confirmed on 26 October 2020, and amended on 3 September 2021, 29 April 2022, and 30 September 2022. A lesser redacted version of the indictment was filed on 27 February 2023. This is the operative indictment in this case.
Each of the accused is charged on the basis of individual criminal responsibility with six counts of crimes against humanity: persecution, imprisonment, other inhumane acts, torture, murder, and enforced disappearance of persons. Each of the accused is also charged with four counts of war crimes: illegal and arbitrary arrest and detention, cruel treatment, torture, and murder.
The indictment states that the crimes charged were committed from at least March 1998 through September 1999 and took place in several locations across Kosovo as well as in Kukës and Cahan, in Northern Albania. They were allegedly committed by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) against hundreds of civilians and persons not taking part in hostilities. The indictment alleges that Messrs Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi are individually criminally responsible, pursuant to various forms of criminal responsibility, for crimes which were committed in the context of a non-international armed conflict in Kosovo and were part of a widespread and systematic attack against persons suspected of being opposed to the KLA.
Following their arrest by the Specialist Prosecutor, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi were transferred to the Detention Facilities of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on 4 and 5 November 2020.
The trial started on 3 April 2023 with the Opening Statement of the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO). The SPO closed their case on 15 April 2025. Victims’ Counsel, representing the 156 participating victims, presented their case in July 2025 and the Thaçi and Krasniqi Defence presented their cases between September and December 2025.
The Trial Panel closed the evidentiary proceedings on 18 December 2025. 134 witnesses have testified in court in this case, 125 called by the SPO, two called by Victims’ Counsel and seven called by the Defence. Closing statements took place from 9-18 February 2026.
More information about the case is available on the Thaçi et al. Case Page.