A day after the first instance decision in The Hague, which sentenced the four former KLA leaders to a total of 81 years in prison, Hashim Thaçi's main lawyer reacted through a post on the social network X.
In his response, the lawyer says that Thaçi expresses gratitude for the support that he, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi have received from the people of Kosovo and the international community. He also calls on the citizens of Kosovo to remain peaceful in response to the decision.
Thaçi's defense has announced that it will appeal the first-instance verdict to the Appellate Panel of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, claiming that the decision contained "significant errors in law and facts," which, according to it, undermined the fairness of the trial.
According to the defense, concerns about procedural fairness were raised throughout the trial, particularly over the extent of questions asked directly by members of the Trial Panel. The lawyers claim that the manner of judicial interventions “did not create the impression of impartiality” and that they exceeded the bounds of a neutral search for the truth.
The defense also claims that the Trial Panel's findings of guilt beyond reasonable doubt were based on insufficient and unconfirmed evidence.
Full reaction:
Hashim Thaçi wishes to express his sincere gratitude for the great support that he, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi have received from the people of Kosovo and the international community, and calls on the citizens of Kosovo to remain peaceful in response to yesterday's injustice.
Mr. Thaçi's lawyers will appeal yesterday's First Instance Judgment to the Appellate Panel of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSCC), claiming that there were significant errors in law and facts, which undermined the fairness of the trial.
Throughout the trial, the Defence has repeatedly raised concerns about procedural fairness, including the broad scope of questions asked directly by members of the Trial Panel, in a manner that did not create the impression of impartiality. The Defence maintains that the judicial interventions exceeded the bounds of a neutral search for the truth, undermining the impression of impartiality required by international standards of justice. This lack of impartiality now permeates the Trial Panel’s Judgment.
Mbrojtja argumenton se gjetjet e Panelit të Gjykimit për fajësinë përtej dyshimit të arsyeshëm mbështeten në prova të pamjaftueshme dhe të pakonfirmuara. Për më tepër, dje Paneli i Gjykimit deklaroi publikisht se z. Thaçi ishte i përfshirë në vrasjen e Behajdin Allaqit, pasi më parë kishte urdhëruar të gjitha palët në këtë çështje që të mos diskutonin publikisht rastin e z. Allaqit në seancat gjyqësore dhe pasi kishte urdhëruar që të gjitha provat lidhur me këtë rast të mbaheshin konfidenciale.
Kësisoj, Paneli i Gjykimit e ka shpallur publikisht fajtor z. Thaçi për një vrasje, ndërkohë që provat mbi të cilat është mbështetur ky përfundim janë mbajtur të fshehura nga shqyrtimi publik. Z. Thaçi do ta mirëpriste një shqyrtim të tillë publik të provave.
Mbrojtja do t’i apelojë vendimet e Panelit të Gjykimit për shkelje të të drejtave të tij themelore për një gjykim të drejtë, të garantuara me Konventën Evropiane për të Drejtat e Njeriut dhe Kushtetutën e Kosovës. Z. Thaçi mohon shprehimisht çdo përfshirje në vrasje.
Respektimi i standardeve rigoroze të drejtësisë procedurale është thelbësor për ruajtjen e besimit të publikut në institucionet ndërkombëtare të drejtësisë penale. Mbrojtja do ta dorëzojë zyrtarisht Njoftimin e Apelit për të korrigjuar këto gabime faktike, ligjore dhe procedurale pranë Panelit të Apelit.
Hashim Thaçi wishes to express his sincere appreciation for the outpouring of support he and Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi have received from the people of Kosovo and internationally, and calls upon Kosovo's citizens to remain peaceful in response to yesterday's injustice. mr. Thaçi's lawyers will appeal yesterday's Trial Judgment before the Appeals Panel of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC), asserting significant errors of law and fact that prejudiced the fairness of the proceedings. Throughout the trial, the Defense repeatedly raised concerns regarding procedural fairness, including the extensive scope of questioning conducted directly by members of the Trial Panel in a manner that did not create the appearance of impartiality. The Defense maintains that judicial interventions crossed the boundary of neutral truth-seeking, compromising the appearance of impartiality required under international standards of justice. That lack of impartiality now permeates the Trial Panel's Judgment. The Defense submits that the Trial Panel's findings of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt rely on insufficient and uncorroborated evidence. Moreover, the Trial Panel yesterday publicly claimed that Mr. Thaçi was involved in the murder of Behajdin Allaqi after having ordered all parties in the case not to discuss the case of Mr. Allaqi in public session in court, and after having ordered all of the evidence related to that case to be kept confidential. The Trial Panel has thus publicly convicted Mr. Thaçi of a murder while also keeping the evidence on which he drew this conclusion shielded from public scrutiny. mr. Thaçi would welcome such public scrutiny of the evidence. The Defense will appeal the Trial Panel's decisions for violating his fundamental fair trial rights under the European Convention on Human Rights and the Kosovo Constitution. mr. Thaçi expressly denies any involvement in murders. Adherence to rigorous standards of procedural fairness is vital to maintaining public confidence in international criminal institutions. The Defense will formally submit its Notice of Appeal to correct these factual, legal and procedural errors before the Appeals Panel.
— Luka Misetic (@MiseticLaw) September 17, 2026
