Misetiq: Thaçi expresses gratitude for extraordinary support, calls for calm

Hashim Thaçi’s lawyer, Luka Misetiq, has announced that the defense will appeal the first-instance judgment of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, claiming that the former president of Kosovo’s fundamental rights were violated during the judicial process.

In a statement after the verdict was announced, Misetiq said that Thaçi expresses gratitude for the support he, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi have received from the citizens of Kosovo and from international supporters.

He called on the citizens of Kosovo to remain calm and to react peacefully to the judgment.

Misetiq announced that the defense team will appeal yesterday’s decision to the Appeals Panel of the Specialist Chambers, citing significant errors in law and fact, which according to him have undermined the fairness of the process.

The lawyer emphasized that the defense had raised concerns throughout the process about procedural fairness, particularly about the way in which the members of the trial panel asked questions.

He said that during the trial the defense had repeatedly expressed reservations regarding procedural impartiality, including the fact that the judges directly asked a large number of questions in a manner that did not give the impression of an impartial panel.

Misetiq claims that the interventions of the trial panel, according to the defense, exceeded the limits of the neutral search for the truth and violated the standard of impartiality required by international justice norms.

The defense maintains that these judicial interventions crossed the line of neutral fact-finding, damaging the perception of impartiality required under international standards of justice.

Thaçi’s lawyer has also contested the evidentiary basis on which, according to him, the finding of guilt beyond reasonable doubt was based.

The statement says that the defense submits that the trial panel’s conclusions of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt are based on insufficient and uncorroborated evidence.

Misetiq particularly highlighted the issue of the murder of Behajdin Allaqi, for which he said the Panel has publicly linked Thaçi to this murder, although it had previously ordered that the case not be discussed publicly and that the relevant evidence be kept confidential.

He specified that the Trial Panel had publicly stated yesterday that Mr. Thaçi was involved in the murder of Behajdin Allaqi, even though it had previously asked all parties not to mention the Allaqi matter in a public session and had decided that the evidence in this case should be kept confidential.

According to him, this resulted in Thaçi being publicly declared guilty of a murder, while the evidence on which this conclusion was based remained outside public scrutiny.

The lawyer added that Mr. Thaçi would welcome a public examination of this evidence.

The defense has announced that it will challenge the judgment also due to allegations of violations of the rights to a fair trial, guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights and the Constitution of Kosovo.

The statement emphasizes that Mr. Thaçi expressly denies any involvement in the murder.

Finally, Misetiq underlined that adherence to strict standards of procedural fairness is essential for maintaining public trust in international criminal justice institutions.

The defense has warned that it will formally file the notice of appeal, asking the Appeals Panel to correct what it calls factual, legal and procedural errors identified in the first-instance judgment.