Opening statements were held today at the Specialist Chambers in The Hague in the trial against Hashim Thaçi, Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu, and Hajredin Kuçi.

All five defendants in the obstruction of justice case have pleaded not guilty.

The indictment alleges that for several months during 2023, they interfered in the judicial proceedings against Thaçi and three other former senior officials of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Prosecutor Joshua Hafetz, at the start of his statement, presented excerpts from recorded conversations in The Hague during meetings between Thaçi and his visitors, including some of the accused, claiming that there had been attempts to influence witnesses.

“The SPO will show that Thaçi’s instructions had one target: specific witnesses whose testimony, according to Thaçi, posed a threat,” he said, adding that the aim was to neutralize that threat.

According to the prosecutor, Thaçi’s motive was that if he were found guilty in the war crimes case, “he would face a lengthy prison sentence,” and therefore, according to the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO), he used various methods to interfere with justice.

“The evidence will show that as soon as the [war crimes] case began, Thaçi focused on obstructing the testimony of witnesses who could damage his defense. Thaçi had two types of witnesses. The first were KLA insiders, specifically identified by Thaçi, whom he believed were decisive in his trial, and who were expected to testify about the KLA’s structure and Thaçi’s leadership role. The second type were victim-witnesses who could implicate him,” the prosecutor said.