Citizens gathered in Skanderbeg Square in Pristina welcomed the statement of Chief Judge Charles Smith with applause. During the decisive hearing in the case against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the latter stated that the Specialist Prosecutor's Office (SPO) had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the existence of a widespread attack on the civilian population, as one of the conditions for establishing crimes against humanity.

“Regarding the existence of a widespread attack against the civilian population as a condition for a crime against humanity, the Trial Chamber found that the SPO failed to establish that this widespread attack against the civilian population was committed,” he said, as his statement was greeted with cheers in Pristina.

"The SPO failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this attack was directed against a civilian population," Smith said.