Alija: The court will weigh differently the testimony of witnesses speaking about events on the ground and those who held international positions

Pristina-based lawyer Amer Alija, from the Humanitarian Law Center, stated that the individuals previously announced by Hashim Thaçi’s defense as possible witnesses in the Hague proceedings—such as Wesley Clark, Bernard Kouchner, or William Walker—had a broad overview of the political, security, and humanitarian circumstances in Kosovo, as representatives of NATO, UNMIK, and the OSCE.

Alija told Kosovo Online that these are certainly “prominent names” since, during the period covered by the indictment, they held key international positions related to Kosovo.

“Their testimonies could be significant in several aspects: to present the context of the conflict and the perception of the KLA’s role at the time, to highlight the views of the international community regarding the KLA’s command structure, and to confirm possible contacts and cooperation of the accused with international representatives,” he pointed out.

According to him, however, the court will assess the relevance and weight of these potential witnesses differently than those who can testify about the actual events on the ground.

With the questioning of the first defense witness tomorrow, the presentation of defense evidence will begin before the Specialist Chambers in The Hague in the case against former KLA leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi.