Kosovo's former president Hashim Thaci, who is on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes, was allowed to visit an ailing family member in Kosovo, a spokesperson from the special tribunal said Thursday.
Thaci is on trial for alleged war crimes committed while he was a leading member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during and after the 1998-1999 independence fight against Serbia.
The case is being heard by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC), set up to prosecute mainly former KLA fighters for war crimes.
"Due to compelling humanitarian grounds, the relevant judges instructed the KSC Registry to manage a custodial visit to Kosovo for Hashim Thaci to be with his father," said Michael Doyle, a KSC spokesperson.
"During this custodial visit, the accused remains in detention and in the custody of the Specialist Chambers," he added.
Local media published TV footage of Thaci leaving a hospital in the capital Pristina on Thursday, escorted by a large security detail.
Several dozen people were gathered in front of the hospital and chanted Thaci's name during his visit.
Thaci's father has been reported to be in poor health.
The former president played a leading role in the Kosovo war -- the last of the 1990s conflicts that tore apart the former Yugoslavia -- that claimed around 13,000 lives.
It ended after a NATO bombing campaign forced Serb forces to withdraw.
Thaci has been held in custody since resigning from the presidency in late 2020 to face war crimes and crimes against humanity charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
The former KLA commander was the young nation's first prime minister after it declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
But he has been dogged by allegations of committing crimes during and after the war, along with accusations of corruption in Kosovo, where KLA commanders retain key roles in public life.
The KSC was set up in 2015 after a 2010 Council of Europe report linked Thaci to organised crime during and after the war.
International tensions remain high over Kosovo, which has been recognised by many Western countries but not by Serbia, Russia or China.