Closing arguments have begun in the trial of the former leaders of the so-called KLA

Closing arguments will be presented from 9 to 13 February, and then on 16 and 18 February.The prosecution will deliver its closing arguments on 9 and 10 February, and on 10 February the final submissions of the victims&rsquo; legal representative will also be heard.The defense for the accused will present its closing arguments on 11, 12, 13, and 16 February, while on 18 February the parties&rsquo; replies and statements by the accused will be heard, the Specialist Chambers previously announced.After the closing arguments, the Trial Panel will render a verdict.The verdict is to be issued within 90 days of the conclusion of the evidentiary proceedings, and if additional time is required due to circumstances, this deadline may be extended by a further 60 days.The Trial Panel concluded the evidentiary phase on 19 December 2025.The initial indictment against the former leaders of the so-called KLA was confirmed on 26 October 2020, and amended in September 2021, April 2022, September 2022, and February 2023.They are 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, as well as four counts of war crimes: unlawful and arbitrary deprivation of liberty, cruel treatment, torture, and murder.The indictment states that the criminal acts with which they are charged were committed no later than from March 1998 until the end of September 1999 at more than 40 locations across Kosovo and Metohija, as well as in Kuk&euml;s and Cahan, in northern Albania.Tha&ccedil;i, Veseli, Selimi, and Krasniqi are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity against at least 407 detainees, of whom at least 102 were killed.According to the indictment, these crimes were committed by the so-called KLA against civilians and persons who did not take part in hostilities and whom it believed did not support it.The indictment further states that the former leaders of the so-called KLA bear individual criminal responsibility under various forms of liability for crimes committed in the context of a non-international armed conflict in Kosovo and Metohija, which formed part of a widespread and systematic attack against persons considered not to support the so-called KLA.According to the indictment, the victims were persons who did not support the so-called KLA, namely Serbs, Roma, Ashkali, civilians whom the so-called KLA believed were cooperating with Serbian authorities, Albanians who supported the Democratic League of Kosovo or were associated with that party and with other parties considered by the so-called KLA to be its opponents, Albanians who did not join or support the so-called KLA, and persons whom the so-called KLA considered its opponents based on their current or former employment.Tha&ccedil;i, Veseli, Selimi, and Krasniqi have been in detention in The Hague since their arrests on 4 and 5 November 2020, and the trial began in April 2023.A total of 134 witnesses testified in court, of whom 125 were called by the prosecution, two by the victims&rsquo; legal representative, and seven by the defense.In addition, 164 witness statements were admitted in written form.The prosecution concluded the presentation of its evidence in April 2025, during which it called 125 witnesses and presented approximately 3,000 material exhibits.The legal representative of 155 victims presented evidence in July 2025, while the defense case was conducted from 15 September to December 2025, with evidence presented only by the defense teams of Tha&ccedil;i and Krasniqi.Tha&ccedil;i&rsquo;s defense called seven witnesses, including former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Rubin, former U.S. envoy to Pristina Christopher Hill, and Jock Covey, former Deputy Head of the UNMIK administration at the time when Bernard Kouchner headed the mission.Witnesses for Tha&ccedil;i&rsquo;s defense claimed that the so-called KLA did not have a unified command structure and that Tha&ccedil;i did not exercise control over its leaders on the ground.Before the Specialist Chambers, a separate case is being conducted against Tha&ccedil;i for obstruction of justice and attempted witness tampering, in which he is charged together with four other former members of the so-called KLA.According to that indictment, from April to November 2023, during separate visits to the detention facility, Tha&ccedil;i provided four former members of the so-called KLA with confidential information about prosecution witnesses in the war crimes case against him, instructed them to influence their testimony, and gave them guidance on how to do so.The start of the trial in that case is scheduled for 27 February.During 1998 and 1999, the so-called KLA committed numerous crimes, killings, and abductions against members of the military and police of the then Yugoslavia, Serbs and other non-Albanians, as well as Albanians who refused to become its collaborators or members.

Closing arguments have begun in the trial of the former leaders of the so-called KLA

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