On Wednesday, the Special Prosecution Office, SPO, in the Hague announced its intention to indict Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and former Speaker of the Assembly, Kadri Veseli, alongside other unnamed individuals, with ten counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. 

The SPO stated that it filed an indictment to be reviewed by the Pretrial Chamber of the Court on April 24, charging Thaci and Veseli with “crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, enforced disappearance of persons, persecution, and torture.” 

According to a press release issued by Kosovo Specialist Chambers, KCS, on Wednesday, the allegations contained in the indictment would hold Thaci and Veseli criminally responsible for nearly 100 murders. “The crimes alleged in the indictment involve hundreds of known victims of Kosovo Albanian, Serb, Roma, and other ethnicities and include political opponents,” it states.

While the charges are yet to be approved by the Pretrial Chamber, the Special Prosecutor “deemed it necessary” to publicise the suspects of the indictment as a result of “repeated efforts by Hashim Thaci and Kadri Veseli to obstruct and undermine the work of the KSC.”

According to the press release issued on Wednesday, the Court believes that the president and the former speaker have been involved in a “secret campaign” attempting to obstruct the work of the court to ensure that they do not face justice. 

“By taking these actions, Mr Thaci and Mr Veseli have put their personal interests ahead of the victims of their crimes, the rule of law, and all people of Kosovo,” the press release states.