Kosovo protesters rally in support of ex-president ahead of war crimes trial verdict

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Thousands of people rallied in Pristina on Saturday in support of Kosovo's former President Hashim Thaci and three other ex-fighters ahead of their verdicts next week in a war crimes trial .

Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders are facing alleged war crimes charges connected to the 1998-1999 separatist war from Serbia.

The protesters filled a central square in the capital, many carrying red and black Albanian flags. Portraits of the four former KLA fighters have been plastered in the city along with a huge digital clock counting down the time when the court in The Hague will deliver its verdicts on Wednesday. A huge banner read: “In the name of the people, declare them innocent.”

Fadil Gashi traveled to Pristina on a bus from the southeast town of Gjilan. He said that “this is the least we can do, come here today for them.”

Prosecutors have asked for a maximum 45-year prison sentence for Thaci and the other defendants — Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi — who are accused of murder, torture and persecution of civilians during and after the conflict that killed 13,000 people.

Thaci resigned from office in 2020 to defend himself against the 10 charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes . He and the three other defendants have been in custody since November 2020 at the court, which formally is part of Kosovo’s judicial system.

All four men have denied the charges.

Thaci has told international judges in a closing statement earlier this year that he was innocent and that “the only just decision would be my full acquittal.”

The protesters in Pristina praised the KLA as a liberation movement. Officials have criticized the proceedings as political and designed to strike a false balance with Serbia whose political and military leaders previously had been tried and convicted of war crimes in Kosovo by a separate U.N. court.

Politician Bedri Hamza told the crowd “we will not allow history to be rewritten,” adding: “A just decision strengthens justice, while an unjust one destroys it. Kosovo is waiting, Kosovo is watching, Kosovo is standing firm.”

Edi Rama, prime minister of neighboring Albania, urged “freedom for the liberators.” Writing in a post on Facebook, he said “the farce is in its final days.”

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, with the support of the United States and most European Union countries. Backed by Russia and China, Belgrade does not recognize the split which has been a source of tension in the volatile Balkan region.

Most of the 13,000 people who died in the war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians while about 1 million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes during the fighting. A 78-day campaign of NATO airstrikes against Serbian forces eventually forced Belgrade to pull out.

As both Kosovo and Serbia seek European Union membership, they have been told they must normalize ties before joining.