Thousands in Kosovo rally against war crimes trial of ex-KLA commanders

Special court in The Hague hears closing arguments this week in the trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders.Published On 17 Feb 2026Thousands of people have protested in Kosovo’s capital against the trial of former Kosovo ⁠Liberation Army (KLA) leaders, including a former president, who are accused of war crimes during the 1998-1999 war for independence.Pristina’s main square on Tuesday was filled with people protesting against The Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers war crimes court as the country marked the 18th anniversary of its independence.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Kosovo’s parliament approves new gov’t ending yearlong political deadlocklist 2 of 4Kosovo’s leading party wins vote but government formation still unclearlist 3 of 4Thousands rally in Serbia as students continue fight against corruptionlist 4 of 4Italy probes suspect in Sarajevo ‘sniper tourism’ during Bosnia war: Reportend of listThe court in the Netherlands is hearing closing arguments this week in the trial of former President ⁠Hashim Thaci, former Speakers of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo Jakup Krasniqi and Kadri Veseli, and former lawmaker Rexhep Selimi. They were arrested in 2020.The former KLA commanders are charged with persecution, murder, torture and forced disappearances of people during and shortly after the 1998-1999 uprising, which eventually brought independence for the Albanian-majority region from Serbia.Thaci, 57, served as prime minister, foreign minister and president of independent Kosovo from 2008 to 2020.More than 13,000 ⁠people – the majority Kosovo Albanians – are estimated ⁠to have been killed during the conflict when Kosovo was still a province of Serbia under then-nationalist President Slobodan Milosevic, whose forces violently cracked down on ethnic Albanians.Judges are expected to deliver a final verdict within three months. The defendants have denied all the charges while prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 45 years for each defendant.‘Liberation war’Former KLA leaders are seen by many in Kosovo as national liberation heroes. Many protesters wore KLA uniforms. Others waved KLA, Kosovo and Albanian flags. Supporters held placards reading, “Freedom has a name,” and held photos of Thaci and others captioned “Heroes of War and ⁠Peace”.