The three judges who will rule on Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi, while another remains in reserve

On September 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague will deliver the first-instance judgment in the case against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi.

After a process that lasted several years and included 234 days of court hearings, the decision will be handed down by Trial Panel II, composed of American judge Charles L. Smith III, German judge Christoph Barthe and Swiss judge Guénaël Mettraux.

Fergal Gaynor of Ireland is part of the trial panel as a reserve judge. The rules of the Specialist Chambers stipulate that he does not vote or express a position on the panel’s decisions, except if he is appointed to replace one of the regular judges.

The judgment is adopted by a majority of the three members of the trial panel. If they fail to reach a unanimous position, a separate or dissenting opinion may be attached to the decision.

Charles L. Smith III presides over Trial Panel II and also serves as vice president of the Specialist Chambers.

The American judge has previously held a role in Kosovo’s justice system. He served as an EULEX judge from 2010 to 2013, while from 2011 to 2013 he was a member of the Supreme Court of Kosovo.

Christoph Barthe is a German jurist with a long career in criminal and international law.

He has served as a prosecutor at Germany’s Federal Court of Justice, where he worked on the prosecution of cases involving war crimes and genocide.

Swiss judge Guénaël Mettraux has extensive experience in international criminal justice.

During his career, Mettraux has worked on cases examined by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the International Criminal Court.

The panel’s fourth judge is Ireland’s Fergal Gaynor, who has followed the proceedings in the role of reserve judge.

Gaynor does not take part in voting on the judgment unless he is officially appointed to replace one of the three regular judges.

The four accused face a total of ten counts in the indictment.

Six charges concern allegations of crimes against humanity, namely persecution, imprisonment, other inhumane acts, torture, murder and enforced disappearance.

The other four counts relate to alleged war crimes: unlawful or arbitrary arrest and detention, cruel treatment, torture and murder.

Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi have denied all the charges and pleaded not guilty.

The trial began on April 3, 2023. During the trial, 134 people testified: 125 witnesses called by the Prosecution, two by the victims’ representative and seven by the defense teams.

On September 16, 2026, Smith, Barthe and Mettraux will assess, for each count of the indictment and for each accused person, whether the Prosecution has proved guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The decision to be announced is a first-instance ruling and may be challenged through an appeal before a panel of the Specialist Chambers’ Court of Appeals.

Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi have been in detention in The Hague since November 2020.