Thousands rally in support of ex-Kosovo leader before war crimes trial

POLITICS | KOSOVO | WARCRIMES

PRISTINA - Thousands rallied in Kosovo's capital Pristina on Sunday protesting the upcoming trial against former president Hashim Thaci a day before he appears in an international war crimes court in The Hague.

Thaci, a former leader in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), resigned from the presidency in late 2020 after he was indicted by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) court.

Along with three other defendants, Thaci stands accused of an array of crimes including murder, torture and persecution during the 1998-1999 independence war with Serbia.

The European Union-funded KSC is charged with investigating war crimes allegedly committed by former KLA guerrillas during the bloody insurgency between ethnic Albanian fighters and Serb forces. 

Ahead of the trial, thousands flocked to the "March for Justice" in support of Thaci, where demonstrators waved KLA flags and held signs that read: "Justice not politics" and "Our history cannot be rewritten".

The rally was organised by the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), which was founded by Thaci and other guerilla leaders after the war.

Kosovo Albanians hold flags and placards depicting former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci and former parliament speaker Kadri Veseli during a march in Pristina on April 2, 2023. AFP

"We are with them forever .... and have no doubt that they will return as victors as they once came as liberators because they are living heroes," PDK leader Memli Krasniqi told the crowd.

The KSC is largely despised by Kosovar Albanians, who believe the court is tarnishing the legacy of the veterans that fought for Kosovo's independence at great cost.

The charges against Thaci and the others are rooted in the alleged kidnapping and disappearance of at least 100 civilians, mostly Serbs and Roma, along with ethnic Albanian political opponents, according to a 2010 Council of Europe report.

Following the war, Thaci went on to dominate the young nation's political scene for years, which included stints as president and prime minister.

In 2008, Thaci's popularity soared after he helped oversee Kosovo's independence declaration from Serbia.

Serbia along with its powerful allies China and Russia have never recognised Kosovo’s independence declaration.