New charges -- Thaci and Smaj -- within 30 days must be declared about guilt

The preliminary procedure judge has appointed this Tuesday, the conference on the progress of the issue, where it will be discussed organising exchanges between the parties to enable quick preparation for the trial.

In this session, former President Hashim Thaci -- former chief of the Kosovo Agency for Intelligence -- the Smaj Union has the opportunity to declare itself around accession or not guilt.

“As far as admission or not of guiltyness is concerned over the charges the defendant has the right to do so in the 30-day term from the first-time appearance of the court, Ardian Bayraktari lawyer has stressed.

At the opening session, Hajredin Kuci, Fadil Fazliu and Isni Kilaj have pleaded not guilty, denying charges of the specialised prosecutor's office.

Apart from Kuci, who is in Thaci's freedom, which has been in custody since 2020, the three others were assigned the detention measure after the arrest, though the same men demanded parole.

Now we don't have much detail in reasoning, in the evidence in the prosecution's proposals, and certainly the Court has considered one and has made a decision based on conditions and laws as possible and has offered adequate measures”, the Amer Aliaj Fund for Humanitarian Law stressed.

The Special Court has recently confirmed the new indictment, Thaci and others for obstructing justice, affecting and revealing the identity of protected witnesses, who were part of the case where former KLA leaders are accused of war crimes.