The Kosovo war crimes tribunal is due to deliver its verdict in the case against former president Hashim Thaci and three former commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who are accused of murder, torture and persecution.
Prosecutors have asked judges to impose 45-year prison sentences on each of the four men. Thaci, 58, and his co-defendants deny all the charges.
Hashim Thaci war crimes verdict follows disputed trial
The defendants are accused of targeting political opponents and civilians they regarded as collaborators or traitors during the KLA’s fight against Serbian forces in Kosovo’s 1998-99 war of independence.
Alongside Thaci, the case involves Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and Kadri Veseli, all former senior KLA figures. The allegations include war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The proceedings have caused deep divisions in Kosovo, where Thaci is still regarded by many ethnic Albanians as a revered figure because of his role in the conflict.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people gathered in Pristina to demand the men’s acquittal. It was the latest in a series of rallies held since the trial began, while portraits of the four former commanders have appeared across the capital beside a large digital countdown to the verdict.
One banner carried the message: “In the name of the people, declare them innocent.”
Thaci’s lawyers told judges in February that there was no evidence directly connecting him to any of the alleged crimes. His lawyer, Luka Misetic, said: “There are no orders in the record from Thaci to perpetrators of crimes. There are no reports from perpetrators of crimes to Thaci.”
About 13,000 people died during the Kosovo war, most of them ethnic Albanians, while about one million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were forced from their homes. A 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian forces brought the fighting to an end.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, though Belgrade has refused to recognise it. Relations between the two sides remain tense despite years of European Union-mediated negotiations.
