Kosovo Ex-President Thaci Denied Release by Hague Judge

A judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which was set up to try former Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA guerrillas for wartime and post-war crimes has ruled that Hashim Thaci and his three co-defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, must remain in custody in the Netherlands.

The decision was made on January 22 but only made public on Wednesday.

Thaci, the wartime political director of the KLA, has been in custody since November 5, when he resigned as Kosovo's president and surrendered to the court, following the confirmation of an indictment charging him with war crimes and crimes against humanity.in

Thaci's defence team argued that his release was merited due to his conduct over the past 22 years, including his role in establishing the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, and his cooperation with officials.

However, pre-trial judge Nicolas Guillou concluded that there was a risk that if released, Thaci could "abscond, obstruct the progress of proceedings, or commit further crimes against those perceived as being opposed to the KLA, including witnesses who provided or could provide evidence in the case and/or are due to appear before the [Specialist Chambers]."

The judge gave the same reasons for denying interim release to Thaci's co-defendants, who are also former senior KLA figures who became politicians in Kosovo in the post-war era.

In Thaci's case, the defence submitted that he would comply with any conditions set on his release.

But judge Guillou concluded that no additional limitations could restrict "Mr Thaci's ability to communicate, through any non-public means, with his community or support network".

The judge explained that "it is through such communication that Mr Thaci could instigate,...