Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca and Minister for War Values and Liberation War Affairs Andin Hoti are expected to travel to The Hague to attend the reading of the first-instance verdict in the case against four former senior Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders.
The verdict in the case involving Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi is expected to be announced on Wednesday by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers after several years of proceedings.
The decision is being closely followed in Kosovo, among the families and supporters of the accused, and by the wider Kosovo diaspora.
The Kosovo government confirmed that Konjufca and Hoti will be present in The Hague to follow the proceedings. Government spokesperson Arlind Manxhuka confirmed the information to Kosovo’s public broadcaster RTK.
According to the report, the two officials are expected to watch the verdict from the gallery of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.
Family members of the accused have already arrived in The Hague, along with numerous citizens from Kosovo and the diaspora. They are expected to attend a gathering announced for Wednesday, coinciding with the reading of the verdict.
The case has attracted significant attention in Kosovo, where the four defendants are prominent figures of the 1998–1999 war and the country’s subsequent political development.
The proceedings before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers concern allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The defendants have denied the charges.
