Kosovo Rally Backs Thaci as Hague Verdict Nears

Thousands of people filled a central square in Pristina on Saturday to back Kosovo's former President Hashim Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders, days before a court in The Hague delivers verdicts in their war crimes trial.

The four defendants — Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi — face charges linked to the 1998-1999 separatist war with Serbia. Prosecutors have sought the maximum 45-year prison sentence, accusing the men of murder, torture and the persecution of civilians during and after a conflict that killed 13,000 people.

All four have denied the charges and have been held in custody since November 2020 at the court, which formally operates as part of Kosovo's judicial system. Thaci stepped down from the presidency in 2020 to defend himself against 10 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. In a closing statement earlier this year, he told international judges he was innocent and that "the only just decision would be my full acquittal."

Many in Saturday's crowd carried red and black Albanian flags. Portraits of the four men have been put up across the city alongside a large digital clock counting down to Wednesday's verdict, and a banner read: "In the name of the people, declare them innocent."

Fadil Gashi, who travelled by bus from the southeastern town of Gjilan, said attending the rally was "the least we can do." Politician Bedri Hamza told the crowd, "We will not allow history to be rewritten," adding that a just decision strengthens justice while an unjust one destroys it.

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama voiced support for the defendants in a Facebook post, writing "freedom for the liberators" and saying "the farce is in its final days." Officials have criticised the proceedings as political and argued they create a false balance with Serbia, whose political and military leaders were previously tried and convicted of war crimes in Kosovo by a separate UN court.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with backing from the United States and most European Union countries, but Belgrade, supported by Russia and China, does not recognise the split — a continuing source of tension in the Balkans. Most of the 13,000 people killed in the war were ethnic Albanians, and about one million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were displaced before a 78-day NATO air campaign forced Serbian forces to withdraw. Both Kosovo and Serbia are seeking EU membership and have been told they must normalise ties before joining.