The defense of former President Hashim Thaçi has requested from the Special Court in The Hague his conditional release.
The request states that former President Thaçi does not pose a flight risk and that he has offered a financial guarantee of 50 thousand euros to ensure his release.
The request, among other things, also states the conditions that the former president is willing to accept.
There, in addition to the guarantee of 50 thousand euros, it is stated that Thaçi will not leave the territory of Kosovo, and that he will surrender his passport and any other travel documents.
It is also stated that Thaçi will refrain from making any public statements, directly or indirectly in the media and, or on social networks, and he will not discuss the content of his case with anyone, except for certain members of his defense team.
Conditions published in the application:
Mr. Thaçi is willing to abide by conditions similar to those imposed on his co-accused, which have been described as “a proven and appropriate framework for provisional release,”⁵⁵ or any other conditions that the Single Trial Judge (SJT) deems appropriate, namely:
a) Mr. Thaçi shall not leave the territory of Kosovo unless authorized to do so by a competent panel of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC);
b) Mr. Thaçi shall surrender to the Registrar his passport and any other travel documents, including visas and any identification documents that may be used for travel. This obligation shall also extend to any new passport or travel document that may be issued to him by the Kosovo authorities or other authorities after the issuance of this decision. If Mr. Thaçi’s presence is required at the headquarters of the DSB, the Registry shall make his passport available to him solely for that purpose. Upon his return to Kosovo, the passport shall be surrendered to the Registrar;
c) Mr. Thaçi will provide the address where he will reside in Kosovo throughout the duration of the judicial proceedings and will request permission from the Kosovo Police Service before any change of residence;
d) Mr. Thaçi will deposit with the Registrar, as a precondition for his release, a financial guarantee in the form of a monetary transfer in the amount of 50,000 euros to the Registry’s account;
e) Mr. Thaçi shall refrain from any contact or communication, direct or indirect (through any other person), of any kind and by any means, with his co-accused (Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu and Hajredin Kuçi);
f) Mr. Thaçi shall refrain from any contact or communication, direct or indirect (through any other person), of any kind and by any means, with any person whom he knows to be a witness in this or any other matter before the DSK;
g) Mr. Thaçi shall refrain from any contact or communication, direct or indirect (through any other person), with any person alleged in the Amended Confirmed Indictment to have participated in or assisted in the obstructive conduct at issue in this case;
h) Mr. Thaçi will not discuss the contents of his case with anyone except designated members of his defense team, including close family members, and will inform any person who asks questions regarding his case that he is subject to such prohibition by the DSK;
i) Mr. Thaçi shall refrain from making any public statements, directly or indirectly (for example, through family members), in the media and/or on social networks regarding the DSK, the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) and/or any proceedings before the DSK;
j) Mr. Thaçi will report for a weekly verification to the Kosovo Police, in accordance with the procedures established by the Registry;
(k) Mr. Thaçi shall surrender to the custody of the DSK, if so ordered, and shall attend any court hearing as requested by the DSK. Any failure to appear before the DSK, as ordered, shall result in the forfeiture of the financial guarantee provided for in subparagraph (d), and the immediate issuance of a warrant of arrest;
l) Mr. Thaçi shall notify the Registrar of the address where he will reside while in the territory of the Host State to attend court hearings and shall comply with any restrictions on movement within the territory of the Host State that may be imposed on him during the period of his stay there;
m) Mr. Thaçi shall respect the confidential classification of the decision on his release and shall not publish, disclose or discuss in any way its contents, directly or indirectly, with any person, including any accused in the Detention Facility and members of his family, with the exception of his lawyer and designated members of the defense team, until the decision is made public by order of the GVG; and
n) Mr. Thaçi shall comply with any decision, order or other instruction of the Single Trial Judge and the Registrar.