The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague have rejected a request by the defence team of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi to admit a witness statement as evidence solely in written form, without requiring the witness to testify in court.
The decision, issued in October 2025 in the war crimes case against Thaçi and his co-defendants, was made public in a redacted version on 19 October 2026.
According to the Trial Panel’s reasoning, the statement contained information concerning the direct conduct of some of the accused, as well as the credibility of witnesses who had previously testified.
For this reason, the court determined that it was important for the witness to appear in person and answer questions from the opposing party, in order to ensure the fairness of the proceedings and avoid prejudice to the parties.
In its decision, the Trial Panel instructed Thaçi’s defence team to provide the necessary information to facilitate the witness’s appearance in court, rather than having the statement admitted solely as written evidence.
Meanwhile, the judgment in the separate case against Thaçi and others concerning alleged witness interference is scheduled to be delivered on 17 November.
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