Hague tribunal to rule on Hashim Thaci Kosovo war crimes case
The tribunal is due to deliver its verdict in the three-year trial of the former president and three former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague is due to deliver its verdict in the war crimes and crimes against humanity trial of former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci and former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and Kadri Veseli.
The four men have pleaded not guilty to charges including alleged murder, torture and persecution during and after Kosovo’s 1998–1999 war. Prosecutors have sought 45-year prison sentences for each defendant.
Prosecutors allege KLA forces killed more than 100 political opponents and perceived collaborators, including prisoners and Serb, Albanian and Roma civilians. Defence lawyers dispute the alleged responsibility of the senior figures, arguing the KLA lacked a strict command structure and that there is no direct evidence linking them to the crimes.
The verdict is being livestreamed in Pristina, where supporters of Thaci and the KLA are expected to gather. The defendants remain prominent figures in Kosovo, where the KLA is widely associated with the country’s independence movement.
The KSC was established under Kosovo law in 2016 after earlier proceedings were undermined by alleged political interference and witness intimidation. Thaci, who was indicted in 2020 and resigned as president, has been detained in The Hague since then.
The ruling may not determine the end of Thaci’s detention. He also faces a separate trial over alleged obstruction of justice.
