The Prosecutor v. The Specialist Prosecutor v. Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi
Case Sheet · KSC
The Specialist Prosecutor v. Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi
| Case number | KSC-BC-2020-06 |
| Status | Trial Stage |
Context
This is the KSC’s principal war crimes and crimes against humanity case. The four accused are former senior officials of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA): Hashim Thaçi (KLA General Staff member, later Prime Minister and President of Kosovo), Kadri Veseli (head of the KLA Intelligence Directorate), Rexhep Selimi (KLA General Inspector), and Jakup Krasniqi (KLA Spokesperson and Deputy Commander). The indictment alleges that between at least March 1998 and September 1999 they bore individual and command responsibility for crimes against hundreds of civilians and persons not taking active part in hostilities, committed in approximately 50 KLA detention sites across Kosovo and northern Albania. All four accused have pleaded not guilty to all charges. The closing statements concluded on 18 February 2026 and the case is now in deliberations.
Pre-Trial
| Indictment confirmed | 26 October 2020 |
| Indictment amendments | 3 September 2021 · 29 April 2022 · 30 September 2022 (operative indictment, lesser redacted version filed 27 February 2023) |
| Crimes at indictment |
Crimes against humanity (art. 13 LSC): Persecution · Imprisonment · Other inhumane acts · Torture · Murder · Enforced disappearance of persons War crimes (art. 14 LSC): Illegal and arbitrary arrest and detention · Cruel treatment · Torture · Murder |
| Arrests & transfer to KSC custody | 4–5 November 2020 |
| Case transmitted to Trial Panel II | 15 December 2022 |
Trial
| Trial opening | 3 April 2023 |
| Trial panel | Trial Panel II · Presiding Judge Charles L. Smith III |
| Prosecution case closed | 15 April 2025 (125 witnesses heard; 164 additional written statements admitted) |
| Defence case | 15 September – 2 December 2025 (Thaçi and Krasniqi teams only presented evidence) |
| Evidentiary proceedings closed | 18 December 2025 |
| Closing statements | 9–18 February 2026 · Panel now in deliberations |
| Participating victims | 155 |
Key Documents
| Confirmation of indictment | Decision Confirming the Indictment (26 October 2020, made public 5 November 2020) |
| Arrest WarranTs | Arrest Warrants (2020) |
| Operative indictment | Operative Indictment (lesser redacted version, 27 February 2023) |
| KSC case page | Official KSC page — The Specialist Prosecutor v. Hashim Thaçi et al. |