The final closing statements were held today in The Hague in the case against former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, former parliamentary speakers Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, and former MP Rexhep Selimi before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

Former President Hashim Thaçi was the first to address the Court. He stated that there is only one truth — that he is completely innocent.

“For nearly three years in this courtroom, you have heard the prosecution’s accusations. You have also heard the truth. There is only one truth. I am completely innocent.

“At the time of the massacres in early 1998, I was a student in Zurich. I was not making plans to take control of Kosovo; the only person making morbid plans was Slobodan Milošević.

“After witnessing the massacres in my country, I could not remain indifferent. I decided to return to Kosovo, as any of you would have done. I am proud of that and I have never regretted it. It is an insult to the memory of the heroes and the thousands of victims. It is also an insult to NATO’s efforts, with whom we closely cooperated,” Thaçi said.

Former parliamentary speaker Kadri Veseli told the trial panel that “justice may be delayed, but it cannot be denied.”

He emphasized that his actions were lawful, underlining that the people of Kosovo were deprived of the right to live as equal citizens.

“I know who I am and what I have done. The Court must, at all costs, protect the truth, justice, and independence. Freedom cannot be achieved through injustice. I know what it means to live under constant threat; I would not wish that experience on anyone.

“After decades of investigations, there is no evidence that I committed any crime. Our people were deprived of the right to live as equal citizens.

“Justice may be delayed, but it cannot be denied. I know who I am and what I have done; my actions were lawful,” Veseli stated.

Jakup Krasniqi denied the Prosecution’s accusations against him, saying that roles, authority, and responsibilities had been attributed to him “that I never had.”

“This is slander. The figure described in the Prosecution’s document is not the person standing before you today,” Krasniqi said.

“I did not possess the power, command, or functions attributed to me in this case. The whole world knows that NATO intervened against crimes committed against Albanians in Kosovo. NATO and the democratic world have never sided with terrorists,” he underlined.

He insisted that his actions and those of the KLA, both during and after the war, “prioritized peace, and this has been proven.”

“We stand here today unjustly,” he concluded.

The last of the four former KLA leaders to address the Court was former Kosovo MP Rexhep Selimi.

He told the trial panel that Kosovo’s history cannot be rewritten, especially not in a courtroom.

“Serbia never hid its intentions toward Albanians. So I ask again: What were we supposed to do? Wait our turn to be killed, or leave our homes? The KLA was not created out of desire, but out of necessity,” he said before the Court in The Hague.

“For me, being a fellow fighter of Adem Jashari is the greatest honor.

“Yes, I carried arms. For us, weapons were survival. The KLA had no aim other than freedom. The KLA was a liberation army.

“I am convinced that we did the right thing. Even today, I would do the same. That is why NATO supported us,” he added in his remarks.

The former KLA leaders are charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, to which all four have pleaded not guilty.

The Prosecution has requested that they be found guilty and sentenced to 45 years in prison each. However, the defense teams have argued that there is no evidence for the alleged crimes and have requested their acquittal.

Following the conclusion of the closing statements, the case will now be deliberated by the trial panel. The judges have three months to issue a verdict or to request an extension of the deadline for their decision.