International defense lawyer Annie O’Reilly, part of the legal team representing Kadri Veseli at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, has shared a reflection highlighting the scale and complexity of the ongoing proceedings.
In a public post, she noted that more than five years after the detention of her clients Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi the trial has now concluded its evidentiary phase, describing it as an exceptionally demanding legal process.
“For all of us, personal lives were pushed to one side as we tried to move this monumental trial forward. It required endless witness preparation, drafting, stress, chaos, uncertainty, and repeated refusals that, to be honest, were often demoralizing,” O’Reilly wrote.
She also referred to personal sacrifices during the process, including the loss of a colleague and the challenges of balancing private life, underlining the intensity of involvement in the case.
Despite this, she concluded her statement by expressing pride in the work done and in being part of the defense team and the broader international criminal defense community.
The accompanying photograph, which has drawn symbolic attention, shows the defense team together in The Hague, alongside a visible flag associated with the Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK). Among those present in the image is also PDK vice-president Uran Ismaili, who has been involved in the defense process since the beginning.
