A month from arrest and transfer to The Hague of KLA leaders

Their arrest took place after confirming the indictment by the Special. This indictment, of 68 pages, which is edited, is confirmed on October 26, 2020.

Works weighing on Thaci, Veselin, Selimi and Krasniqi have to do with war crimes, illegal or arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful murder, and crimes against humanity of imprisonment, other inhumane acts, torture, unlawful murder, forced extinction of persons and persecution, which, according to the Special Chambers, were committed between March 1998 and September 1999.

What is said in the indictment against Thaci, Veselin, Selimiqi?

According to the indictment, the crimes were allegedly committed in several Kosovo locations, but also in Kukes and Chahan in northern Albania “and were committed by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (“UÇK”) against hundreds of civilians and persons who did not actively participate in fighting”.

“includes victims suspected as opponents of the KLA and later of the Kosovo Interim Government, namely: (i) Serbs, Roma and Ashkalinj; (i) Catholics; (ii) civilians who allegedly collaborated with Serbian authorities or who allegedly contacted Serbs; (iv) Albanians who were members or supporters of the Democratic League of Kosovo or other parties considered to be opposed KLA; (v) Albanians who did not join or support the KLA; and (vi) individuals employed or former employees who were considered opposed KLA”, said the Specialised Chambers Report.

The Specialised Chambers claim that for these crimes, Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselini, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi hold criminal responsibility as individuals on the basis of various forms of criminal responsibility presented in the indictment, “that were carried out in the context of an international armed conflict in Kosovo and in the framework of a widespread and systematic attack against suspected persons as opponents of KLA<1>.

The indictment claims that from March 1998 to September 1999, Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselini, Rexhep Selimi, Jakup Krasniqi and other members of the joint criminal establishment have shared the same goal of taking over and exercising control all over Kosovo with all means, including intimidation, mistreatment, the exercise of violence and elimination of those whom they considered to be rivals<1>

Opposers, according to the indictment, were people who perceived that they had “co-operated with the forces of the former Yugoslav Republic, with state officials or institutions, or did not support the KLA's goals, including persons associated with the LDK and persons of Serbian, Roma and other ethnicities”.

According to the indictment, Thaci, Veselin, Selimi and Krasniqi “have had the same goal of committing all crimes that are in this indictment, along with other members of the joint criminal enterprise”.

According to the act of Specialised Chambers, other members of the joint criminal enterprise are Azem Syla, Lahi Brahimaj, Fatmir Limaj, Sylejman Selimi, Rrustem Mustafa, Shukri Buja, Latif Gashi and other political and military leaders of the KLA”.

The indictment claims that Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselini, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, personally have participated in <x0 threats, interrogation, mistreatment and detention of opponents”.

Confirming the indictment and then what?

Specialised rooms claim that in July 1998, following a KLA attack in Rahovec and the district, Serb civilians were taken hostage, according to the indictment in these operations were involved, Thaci, Veselin and Selimi. According to the indictment, some detained were later sent to a former police station in Malisevo, where Krasniqi had been identified as being at the scene and “on one occasion visited a room where the” ban was being held.

In another case, which according to the indictment allegedly took place in early September 1998 in the Dukagjin Operative Zone, where, as the Court claims, “Thaçi and Selimi took steps to intimidate and exercise dominance over units that were linked to the LDK, including the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kosovo (FARK), which were linked to the government in Exsul<2>.

The indictment claims that in 1999, Wessel, Selmi and Krasniqi “were involved in various aspects of transfer, ban or release of detainees, held at a detention centre near Kletchka”.

The indictment allegedly claims there were detention centres in Licoc, Jablanica, Llapsnik, Drenoc, etc.

According to the indictment, Thaci, Veselini, Selimi and Krasniqi have contributed to achieving the joint “goal, including committing crimes in these ways: formulating or participating in development, approval, promotion, distribution of plans and policies; failure to take appropriate steps to prevent and investigate crimes... etc.”.

Through actions or inactions, says the indictment, Thaci, Veselin, Selimi and Krasniqi “along with the joint criminal enterprise, committed, helped or spur other participants for the crimes presented in this act”.

The defendants, said further in the indictment “superiors, are responsible for crimes committed by their subordinates. They knew either the arrests that the crimes filed in this indictment would be committed or committed by their subordinates and failed to take appropriate action to prevent such crimes or punish perpetrators of these crimes”.