Hundreds of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo and the diaspora gathered in The Hague on Sunday to demand what they called justice for former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The protest, organised by the KLA War Veterans’ Organisation and diaspora groups, took place in a park near the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, where the case against ex-president Hashim Thaçi and three other senior wartime figures is under way.
Demonstrators carried banners accusing the tribunal of bias. Among the speakers were Hysni Gucati, head of the veterans’ organisation, protest co-organiser Fatmir Koci and former Dutch ambassador to Kosovo Robert Bosch.
The rally followed a similar demonstration in Pristina on Aug. 7 that drew thousands of people.
Thaçi, former parliamentary speakers Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, and former lawmaker Rexhep Selimi have been in detention in The Hague since November 2020. They deny charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including responsibility for more than 100 killings, illegal detentions and torture, allegedly carried out by KLA members against ethnic minorities and political opponents between 1998 and 2000.
The trial began in April 2023 after prosecutors presented 125 witnesses and around 3,000 pieces of evidence. The defence is due to start presenting its case on Monday, with its witness list kept confidential but believed to include former U.S. diplomat James Rubin, who is scheduled to testify on Sept. 15, as well as other high-profile international figures.
Judges at the Specialist Chambers, which was created by Kosovo’s parliament in 2015 but sits in The Hague with international staff, have set Nov. 14 as the tentative end date for the defence phase. Closing submissions are expected by Dec. 22.
The indictment accuses Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi of being part of a “joint criminal enterprise” aimed at consolidating control over Kosovo “by all means, including intimidation, mistreatment, violence and elimination of opponents.”