Hague War Crimes Trial Casts Shadow Over Kosovo’s 18th Birthday Celebrations

(Krenare Cubolli – RFE/RL) Kosovo is turning 18, but this year the anniversary is marked by protests as well as celebrations. The declaration of independence is being overshadowed by the trial of the man who proclaimed it, former President Hashim Thaci, and in particular by the prosecution’s request for a 45-year prison sentence. Closing arguments are now under way at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, with Thaci and three other former senior commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) on trial: Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi. Accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, they have been in pretrial detention since November 2020. The Specialist Chamber was established in 2015 by the Kosovo Assembly to prosecute mainly former KLA fighters for war crimes and is part of Kosovo’s judicial system, but it operates with international staff and is based in The Hague. Fear of witness intimidation was one of the reasons the court is located there. – Hague War Crimes Trial Casts Shadow Over Kosovo’s 18th Birthday Celebrations