Law & Justice

Kosovo Tribunal to Deliver Verdicts on Former President Hashim Thaci and KLA Commanders

By AP

The Kosovo war crimes tribunal will announce its verdicts on Wednesday in the case involving former President Hashim Thaci and three former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders. Prosecutors have requested 45‑year prison sentences for each of the men, who face charges of murder, torture, persecution, and other war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Kosovo’s break from Serbia. Thaci, 58, and the commanders—Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and Kadri Veseli—deny the allegations. Thaci’s lawyers, including Luka Misetic, argued in February that no evidence links him to the crimes, noting the absence of orders from Thaci to perpetrators and reports from perpetrators to Thaci. The case is highly contentious in Kosovo, where Thaci is still revered by many for his role in the 1998‑99 independence war. On Saturday, tens of thousands gathered in Pristina to call for their acquittal, with banners proclaiming “In the name of the people, declare them innocent” and a digital clock counting down to the verdicts. The trial follows a broader context of Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia, a move not recognized by Belgrade, and ongoing tense relations between the two countries despite EU‑mediated negotiations.