Thousands of Kosovars gathered in Pristina to protest the trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders, including ex-president Hashim Thaci, accused of war crimes during the 1998–99 independence conflict. The protest coincided with Kosovo’s 18th independence anniversary.
Thaci, along with former parliamentary speakers Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli, and ex-lawmaker Rexhep Selimi, were arrested in 2020 and face charges including persecution, murder, torture, and forced disappearances. Prosecutors are seeking 45-year sentences for each. The trial, held at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, is expected to conclude with a verdict within three months.
Many protesters wore KLA uniforms, waved Kosovo, Albanian, and KLA flags, and carried placards calling Thaci and other leaders “heroes of war and peace.” Supporters claim the accused fought to liberate their homeland, not to commit crimes.
The tribunal was established outside Kosovo to prevent witness intimidation, as former KLA leaders remain widely regarded as national heroes by many in the country. During the 1998–99 conflict, over 13,000 people, mostly Kosovo Albanians, were killed amid the crackdown by Serbian forces under Slobodan Milosevic.
