The testimony of former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Rubin today in The Hague, along with the testimonies of other defense witnesses expected in the coming days, is being assessed as credible. These testimonies are considered strong and are expected to seriously challenge the charges brought by the Office of the Specialist Prosecutor (SPO) against former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

Today at the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, the hearing of James Rubin began. During the Kosovo war, he served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State. His testimony is in defense of former President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi.

Rubin told the court that during his involvement with the Rambouillet Conference, he had met several times with Thaçi, noting that Thaçi “was concerned that he would not have the authority or full permission to sign the Rambouillet agreement.”

During his testimony, Rubin stated that Thaçi had a political role in the KLA, but not a leadership role, and that he “did not dictate rules and conditions.”

These statements given today by the U.S. official, along with others expected to be heard in defense of Thaçi, are considered important by Blendina Veliqi, the monitor of the judicial process in The Hague from the Kosovo Justice Institute. She says they help the court better understand the circumstances and the role of the four KLA leaders being prosecuted by the Specialist Court.

According to her, Rubin’s statements today demonstrated that the KLA did not have a structured hierarchy during the war period as claimed in the indictment.

“Their testimonies are considered important because they reveal circumstances that occurred during the period covered by the indictment and can help the court better understand those circumstances and the exact role of the accused at that time. Given that high-ranking U.S. diplomatic officials indicate that the U.S. strongly supports uncovering the truth in this judicial process, Rubin’s statement today demonstrates important and undeniable circumstances: the KLA was a people’s army of Kosovo for liberation, the general staff was not aware of what was happening on the ground, and the KLA did not have a structured hierarchy during the war and the period covered by the indictment,” she emphasized.

The lawyer accredited by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, Skënder Musa, also emphasized that the defense witnesses for former President Hashim Thaçi are more credible than those of the SPO heard in this trial.

According to him, their testimonies will refute the charges brought by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office.

“These are more credible witnesses being heard by the court, and their testimony will refute the evidence of the Specialist Prosecutor, because they are very knowledgeable about the circumstances of the war in Kosovo and are very familiar with the roles held by Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi,” he emphasized.

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary James Rubin, who is testifying today at The Hague in defense of former President Hashim Thaçi, is accompanied by two U.S. representatives.

The monitoring by the U.S. representatives is considered proper since the witness is authorized to provide the information.

“These witnesses are under Rule 107, and authorization of the information must be confirmed. In this case, James Rubin is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to provide this information. The officials are present to monitor the provision of information, and in this case, the provider is Rubin, who is authorized by the U.S. Department of State,” she stated.

Lawyer Skënder Musa also said that Rubin’s accompaniment by two U.S. officials is intended to prevent him from answering questions about classified matters related to that time period and U.S. security.

According to him, this restriction is based on both U.S. legislation and that of several European countries.

“The person testifying today is a high-ranking U.S. official, and the two U.S. representatives present are there to ensure he does not answer questions regarding classified issues from that period related to U.S. security. This restriction is based on U.S. legislation, as well as laws of other European countries in cases where secret matters involving the KLA and the U.S. military and government could be discussed, which he is prohibited from addressing,” he said.

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

The presentation of defense evidence comes four months after the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office completed its witnesses and closed its case. The prosecution presented 125 witnesses in court and relied on over 130 written testimonies.

The defense of the four KLA leaders denies the charges, arguing that the KLA did not have an organized command structure.

The indictment against the former KLA leaders was made public in the fall of 2020. Since then, they have been held at the detention center in The Hague. The trial against them began in April 2023.

Judges at the Specialist Chambers expect the defense of the former KLA leaders to submit their final briefs by December 22 of this year.