BIRN Launches ‘Trial Stories’ Page for Hashim Thaci Verdict

BIRN’s reporting on the high-profile trial of four wartime Kosovo Liberation Army leaders and in-depth analysis articles about the implications of the case have been compiled on a new focus page ahead of the trial judgment this week. Illustration: Tijana Dupanovic/BIRN. Ahead of the verdict in the war crimes and crimes against humanity case against for former senior Kosovo Liberation Army officials at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Wednesday, BIRN has launched a special focus page dedicated to the trial and its impact. The page compiles BIRN’s reporting on the trial since it started in April 2023 – analysis articles as well as news reports from Kosovo and The Hague. “BIRN is one of the few media outlets that has followed the prosecution of Hashim Thaci and his co-defendants in genuine depth from the beginning, reporting on the latest developments but also examining their potential implications,” said BIRN’s deputy regional director Gentiana Murati. “The verdict is an event of major significance for Kosovo and the region and BIRN will continue to analyse its consequences as they develop, not only on the day of the judgment,” she added. Prosecutors at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers are calling for 45-year prison sentences for the four defendants – Kosovo’s ex-President Hashim Thaci and fellow former guerrilla leaders Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. They are accused of having command responsibility for a campaign of persecution by KLA fighters during and just after the 1998-99 war, which allegedly included murders, torture, forced disappearances and unlawful detentions. The defendants have denied the charges and their lawyers are seeking acquittals. The case has sparked anger in Kosovo, where it is seen as an attempt to vilify the KLA’s war for liberation from Serbian oppression. Supporters of the defendants have staged a series of demonstrations and are expected to rally in The Hague for the verdict. See the focus page here.