Appeals court raises word limit to 7,000 for notices of appeal by Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi

On October 28, the Appeals Chamber of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague partially granted Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi’s request for more space in their notices of appeal against the first-instance judgment.

As a result, their defense teams may use up to 7,000 words in the notices, although the usual limit is 3,000.

The defense lawyers had requested a limit of 9,000 words. They argued that the complexity of the case and the length of the judgment required more space to explain the grounds for appeal.

In its decision, the Chamber noted that the first-instance judgment, published on September 16, 2026, runs to 2,089 pages and is the longest judgment ever issued by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

The judges found that the complexity of the case made sufficient space necessary to clearly present the defense’s claims about possible errors in the judgment.

However, the panel considered the request for 9,000 words excessive. It said that length alone does not determine the quality or effectiveness of an appeal; clarity and the arguments presented are what matter.

The Chamber clarified that the notices must identify the alleged errors in the judgment and the remedy sought. Detailed arguments, meanwhile, must be presented in the appeal submissions.

The notices of appeal must be filed by November 27.