Dead Diplomats Cannot Testify
Fact Check: No, Madeleine Albright and Richard Holbrooke Are Not Testifying in The Hague.
Claiming Albright and Holbrooke will testify is journalistic malpractice. Both are dead; only their past words remain. Anything else is deception packaged as reporting.
A Kosovo news outlet, Sinjali, published on 19 August 20251 that the “testimonies of Madeleine Albright, Richard Holbrooke… will be used in favour of Hashim Thaçi in The Hague.” At face value, this claim suggests that two of Washington’s most prominent diplomats of the late 20th century are poised to step into the dock in defence of Kosovo’s former president. The problem is simple, and devastatingly obvious: both are dead.
Madeleine Albright, the first female US Secretary of State and one of the most recognisable champions of NATO’s 1999 intervention in Kosovo, died in March 2022. Richard Holbrooke, architect of the Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnian war, died in December 2010. To speak of their future participation in legal proceedings is not merely misleading; it is a basic failure to acknowledge chronology.
What the defence actually means
Hashim Thaçi’s lawyer, Pierre Prosper, did not mean that the late diplomats would appear in person. Rather, his statement referred to the use of their past statements, diplomatic records, and previously given testimonies — the paper trail of their roles in the Balkans. These records can, under international legal procedure, be admitted as exculpatory evidence, meaning material that may assist the defence.
Thus, Prosper’s strategy is less necromancy than paperwork: combing the archives for past remarks by officials whose words may buttress Thaçi’s case.
Why the wording matters
The phrasing in Sinjali’s report is more than sloppy. It flirts with outright misinformation. By presenting the matter as though Albright and Holbrooke are active witnesses, the outlet obscures the reality of international justice and risks misleading the public. For readers without a strong grasp of Balkan political history, the impression is that American grandees are somehow still shaping The Hague proceedings from beyond the grave.
This is not journalism. It is a dereliction of journalistic duty. Accuracy is not optional when reporting on war crimes trials, where credibility and historical record are at stake.
The front-cover image
The deception is amplified by the cover image used in the report: a photograph of Hashim Thaçi in cordial conversation with Madeleine Albright. Placed directly above the headline “Dëshmitë e Albright dhe Holbrooke do të përdorën pro Thaçit në Hagë”, the picture invites the casual reader to conclude that Albright herself has given a fresh statement on Thaçi’s behalf. This is deliberate visual manipulation. By recycling an old, undated photograph without context, the outlet manufactures the illusion of immediacy and participation. The result is a piece of visual rhetoric designed to override critical reasoning — an editorial choice that transforms archival material into the appearance of current endorsement. It is, in short, propaganda by layout.
The wider problem
Kosovo’s media ecosystem has long suffered from the blurring of lines between reporting, political advocacy, and myth-making. Headlines that play fast and loose with fact not only degrade public understanding but also arm propagandists who thrive on confusion. Suggesting that the dead can testify is a grotesque example of this pattern.
The fact check
Claim: Madeleine Albright and Richard Holbrooke will testify in Thaçi’s defence at The Hague.
Fact: Both are deceased. Their past statements may be introduced as evidence, but they will not testify.
That a local outlet would publish such a claim without the barest factual check is damning. Journalism does not require clairvoyance; it requires a calendar, a record of obituaries, and the discipline to consult them. Anything less, especially in matters of war crimes and justice, is not only unprofessional but also insulting to the public.
Dear reader, if you believe that democracy should not be quietly softened, share this story as widely as possible, because every share is a stone removed from the wall of indifference.
Support independent journalism with a paid subscription 🔗 £12/month 🇬🇧 English edition (The Gunpowder Chronicles) 🔗 £5/month 🇦🇱 Albanian edition (Kronikat e Barutit).
Your support is not charity. It is an act of resistance against manipulation, submission, and the shrinking of democracy. Democracy lives only where truth lives. And truth lives only where there are people who dare to defend it.
Sinjali Report on Thaçi’s Defence Citing Albright and Holbrooke Testimonies (19 August 2025)
This PDF is a captured version of the Sinjali.com article, dated 19 August 2025, claiming that testimonies of Madeleine Albright and Richard Holbrooke would be used in defence of Hashim Thaçi at The Hague. It reproduces the original publication, including headline, text, and embedded advertising, and serves as the primary source under scrutiny in this fact-check. — Sinjali.com [PDF Archived File]