Specialist Chambers allow publication of less-redacted transcripts in the Thaçi and others case

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague have authorized the publication of less-redacted versions of transcripts of the testimony of 10 people heard in the trial of Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi.

The decision, published on 26 October 2026 by Trial Panel II, stipulates that parts of the material that require no further intervention may be made public. According to the court, the protection of the identity, privacy and safety of witnesses, as well as of other individuals, must continue to be guaranteed in this way.

The trial panel accepted the redaction proposals submitted by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, while also making several changes. Meanwhile, it determined that some of the additional redactions requested by the Witness Protection and Support Office were not necessary, particularly in cases where the information was already accessible to the public.

Under the decision, the Prosecution must submit the new versions of the transcripts with reduced redactions to the Registry. The Registry must ensure that the approved redactions are also applied to the Albanian and Serbian versions, as well as to the audio-visual recordings, to the extent permitted by technical capabilities.