Hague Court to Rule Wednesday in Thaci War Crimes Trial

Judges at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague are set to deliver verdicts on Wednesday in the war crimes trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Thaci, along with Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, faces multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and persecution, over the 1998-99 conflict with Serb forces. All four have denied the charges. Prosecutors have sought a maximum sentence of 45 years for each defendant.

The men remain widely regarded as national heroes in Kosovo. Over the weekend, thousands gathered in a central square in Pristina, many waving red and black Albanian flags, to demand their acquittal. Portraits of the four have been displayed across the capital alongside a large digital clock counting down to the verdict.

"In the name of the people, declare them innocent," read one banner carried at the rally.

At the close of his nearly three-year trial in February, Thaci told the court that he had spent his life defending the freedom, life and dignity of Kosovo's people, guided by what he described as Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice.

Prosecutors allege that during their time in the KLA, the defendants targeted political opponents and civilians perceived as collaborators or traitors.

The court is backed by the European Union, and its staff is largely international, reflecting concerns about witness safety. In 2022, the tribunal convicted two leaders of a Kosovo war veterans' association of intimidating witnesses by publicising leaked confidential documents.

Thaci also faces a separate trial on witness-intimidation charges, scheduled to begin later this month.

A former student who returned from what he described as political exile in Switzerland to join Kosovo's independence struggle, Thaci earned the nickname "the Snake" for his ability to evade Serb forces. He was later embraced by Western leaders and invited to the 1999 peace talks in France as political director of the KLA, seen as a figure who could steer the territory toward independence.

After the war he rose to political power and eventually became president, resigning the office to defend himself before the Hague court.

Most of the roughly 13,000 people who died in the Kosovo war were ethnic Albanians. The fighting ended after a 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian forces, and about one million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Belgrade has refused to recognise. Ties between the two remain tense despite years of EU-mediated negotiations supported by the United States.