Kosovo court to deliver verdict in trial of four ex-KLA leaders

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague are scheduled to announce the verdict on September 16 in the trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi and former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. The defendants, who have pleaded not guilty, face charges including murder, torture, persecution, imprisonment and enforced disappearance allegedly committed during and after the 1998–99 conflict in Kosovo. The trial lasted 234 days, with prosecutors seeking sentences of up to 45 years and defense lawyers calling for acquittals. The ruling will be issued by a four-judge panel comprising Charles Smith III, Christoph Barthe, Guénaël Mettraux and Fergal Gaynor. The case has drawn intense public attention in Kosovo and could affect the country’s relations with Western allies and Serbia while reviving unresolved divisions over the Balkan wars.