Massive crowds filled the streets of Pristina on Tuesday as demonstrators rallied in support of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders currently facing war crimes charges at an international tribunal.
The protest centered around four former KLA commanders who were taken into custody in 2020 and transferred to a specialized war crimes court in The Hague. Among those on trial is Hashim Thaci, Kosovo’s former president, along with ex-parliamentary leaders Jakup Krasniqi and Kadri Veseli, plus former legislator Rexhep Selimi.
The defendants face serious allegations including persecution, murder, torture and forced disappearances connected to Kosovo’s 1998-99 independence struggle against Serbia. All four have entered not guilty pleas to the charges.
Court proceedings have reached the final argument phase this week, with judges expected to render their decision within three months. Prosecutors have requested 45-year prison terms for each defendant.
Demonstrators expressed strong opposition to the proceedings, with many viewing the accused as freedom fighters rather than war criminals. “Those who deserve to be in The Hague are the occupiers, not the liberators,” declared Miran Zeka, 49, who traveled from Albania to join the demonstration.
“We fought in our land, we did not go to Serbia to fight,” stated Bekim Muja, 53, a veteran who participated in the Kosovo conflict.
Rally participants displayed KLA military uniforms while others carried flags representing the KLA, Kosovo, and Albania. Demonstrators held signs declaring “Freedom has a name” and carried photographs of Thaci and co-defendants labeled “Heroes of War and Peace.”
Thaci, now 57, held multiple high-ranking positions in independent Kosovo from 2008 to 2020, serving as prime minister, foreign minister, and president.
The conflict that sparked these charges resulted in over 13,000 casualties, predominantly Kosovo Albanians, during the late 1990s uprising. At that time, Kosovo remained under Serbian control, governed by nationalist leader Slobodan Milosevic, whose forces launched brutal campaigns against ethnic Albanian populations.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers was established in 2015 with international judges and legal staff to prosecute war crimes cases involving former KLA fighters under Kosovo’s legal framework. Officials located the tribunal outside Kosovo due to concerns about witness safety, recognizing that many Kosovo citizens regard former KLA commanders as national heroes who secured their freedom.
