World
The Hague special court is set to sentence Hashim Thaçi over Kosovo war crimes charges
The former Kosovo president and three other ex-KLA commanders are due to hear the ruling on allegations of killings and torture during the 1998-1999 war. Reuters reported tightened security and warnings to avoid public gatherings amid fears of unrest.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague are due to deliver a verdict on Wednesday against former Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi and three other former commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, who are accused of killings and torture during the 1998-1999 conflict with Serbia.
According to Reuters, prosecutors have asked for 45-year prison sentences for the 58-year-old Thaçi and his former KLA associates. All four defendants deny the charges.
The prosecution says KLA forces targeted political opponents and people seen as collaborators during the fighting. Prosecutors argue the former commanders bear responsibility for the killing of more than 100 people.
Thaçi’s lawyers say the case is unfounded and amounts to an attempt to rewrite history. Reuters reported that the defense argues there is no evidence directly linking him to any of the alleged crimes or showing that he exercised control over other KLA commanders.
The trial has drawn major attention across the Balkans. The legacy of the war and Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence remain a source of tension between Pristina and Belgrade.
For many Kosovo Albanians, Thaçi and KLA fighters are seen as national heroes who won freedom. Ahead of the ruling, large countdown screens were set up in several Kosovo cities and KLA flags were widely displayed on main streets.
Reuters said local police and international peacekeeping forces introduced extraordinary security measures because of the high risk of mass unrest and possible violence. The United States and several European diplomatic missions also urged their citizens to avoid gatherings in Kosovo.
The KLA, made up of ethnic Albanians, fought a guerrilla war against Serbian forces controlled by then Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milošević. The war included mass ethnic cleansing of Albanians by Serbian troops and ended in 1999 only after NATO intervention and a 78-day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia that forced Belgrade to withdraw its forces from the region.
Thaçi was the political leader of the KLA and after the war became one of the country’s most influential politicians. He served as prime minister, read out Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008, and became president in 2016 before resigning voluntarily in 2020 to face the court and defend his name.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers were established in 2015 under international pressure. They operate under Kosovo law but are staffed by foreign judges and were located in The Hague for security reasons and to protect witnesses.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
