Whether the Kosovo Specialist Chambers has acted impartially in Mr Thaci’s case is yet to be determined. It is not for Marta Kos to prejudge that issue. The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales has questioned the impartiality of the trial judges in the case. You can read their report here: https://t.co/pjERiuGL6P
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 Defence 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 Defence 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 Defence 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 it drew this conclusion shielded from public scrutiny. Mr. Thaçi would welcome such public scrutiny of the evidence. The Defence 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 Defence will formally submit its Notice of Appeal to correct these factual, legal and procedural errors before the Appeals Panel.