Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci will learn Wednesday whether he is guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity as judges at a special court in The Hague prepare to deliver verdicts in his nearly three-year trial.
Thaci is charged with several crimes, including murder, torture and persecution, along with three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who fought Serbian forces during the 1998-99 Kosovo war. The four men are widely viewed as national heroes in Kosovo.
Thousands of people gathered in Pristina over the weekend to show their support for the defendants. Demonstrators filled a central square, many carrying red-and-black Albanian flags.
Posters featuring the four former KLA fighters have been displayed across the capital, alongside a large digital clock counting down to Wednesday's verdict.
“In the name of the people, declare them innocent,” one banner read.
Prosecutors at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague have requested maximum prison terms of 45 years for Thaci and the three other defendants — Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. All four have denied the charges.
“Throughout my life, I stood with the people of Kosovo defending freedom, life and dignity. I was always guided by the Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice,” Thaci told the judges in February as his trial ended.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants targeted political opponents and civilians they considered collaborators or traitors while serving in the KLA.
The European Union-backed court relies largely on international staff because of concerns over the safety and security of witnesses. In 2022, the court convicted two leaders of a Kosovo war veterans' association for intimidating witnesses by making leaked confidential documents public.
Thaci also faces a separate trial over allegations that he intimidated witnesses. That case is scheduled to begin later this month.
Thaci returned to Kosovo from what he described as political exile in Switzerland and joined the campaign for independence while still a student. During the war, he earned the nickname “the Snake” for his ability to evade Serbian forces.
Western leaders backed Thaci and invited him to the 1999 peace talks in France, where he represented the KLA as its political director. He was viewed at the time as a potential leader who could help guide Kosovo toward independence.
After the war, Thaci entered politics and eventually became president. He resigned from the post to defend himself against the charges before the court in The Hague.
About 13,000 people were killed during the Kosovo war, most of them ethnic Albanians. A 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian forces brought the fighting to an end, while about 1 million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were forced from their homes.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade continues to reject the move. Relations between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense despite years of EU-mediated negotiations backed by the United States.