Appeals phase for Thaçi and the others, Picard appointed presiding judge of the panel

French judge Michele Picard will preside over the Court of Appeals Panel in the appeal proceedings in the case against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

This emerges from the decision published on September 29, 2026 regarding the modalities of victim participation in the appeal proceedings. In the official document, the Appeals Panel consists of Michele Picard, Kai Ambos and Nina Jorgensen, while at the end of the decision Picard is expressly identified as the presiding judge.

The development comes as the proceedings against the four former KLA leaders have entered the appeals phase following the Judgment announced on September 16, 2026.

On September 29, the Court of Appeals Panel partially granted the Defence’s request to extend the deadline for filing notices of appeal against the Judgment. The same extension was also given to the Office of the Specialist Prosecutor, while November 27, 2026 has been set as the deadline by which the Defence teams and the SPO must file their notices of appeal.

The document on victim participation confirms that on September 22, Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi had jointly filed a request to extend the deadline for filing a notice of appeal against the first-instance Judgment.

The Panel has also approved the modalities for victim participation during the appeal process, deciding that a regime similar to the one used during the trial at first instance will apply, with the necessary adaptations for the appeals phase. According to the decision, victim participation must be limited to matters affecting their personal interests and may not conflict with or infringe the rights of the accused.

Victims will continue to be represented through the Victims’ Counsel and may not represent themselves in the proceedings. The Panel stressed that it will retain control over the manner of their participation throughout the appeal process.

The Victims’ Counsel will continue to have access to the case file, including filings, transcripts and public, confidential and strictly confidential evidentiary materials, with the exception of ‘ex parte’ materials in relation to the Victims’ Counsel. He will also be able to participate in the appeal hearings, except those from which he is expressly excluded.

In the Judgment of September 16, the trial panel had noted that 156 victims had participated in the court proceedings. /Telegrafi/