Thousands in Kosovo Protest Again for ‘Fair Justice’ After Hague Convictions

Thousands gather in Pristina in protest against Hague court verdict, October 1, 2026. Photo: BIRN Thousands of people gathered on Thursday in Pristina’s main square to protest against this month’s first-instance verdict issued by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which convicted four ex-leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, of war crimes. This was the 16th day of rallies against the verdict and coincided with the 29th anniversary of a demonstration in 1997 when Kosovar students demanded the right to return to public schools and educational faculties following years of having to study in private premises under Slobodan Milosevic’s regime. Ismail Tasholli, representative of the Liria ka emer (Freedom Has a Name) movement, which is organising the protests, told the rally: “We have gathered here for you, we have gathered here for the KLA. We have got together to convey a very important message… because freedom does not belong to any [specific] political party. “If the KLA is being attacked … then we have a great reason to say we want fair justice,” he said. Former President Hashim Thaci and former Speaker Jakup Krasniqi were sentenced to 25 years in prison each, and former Speaker Kadri Veseli and former MP Rexhep Selimi to 18 and 13 years respectively, with credit for time served in detention since November 2020. The court found them guilty of arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture, and murder from April 1998 to June 20, 1999, in Kosovo and Albania. The verdict can be appealed and Thaci’s defence has announced they will do so. Presiding judge Charles Smith III’s choice of words when announcing the verdict, “In the name of the people of Kosovo”, sparked the “Not In My Name” logo that KLA supporters have incorporated into their protest movement ever since. Many Kosovo Albanians claim the verdict effectively condemns the KLA’s just war against Serbia’s oppression despite the judge insisting that the KLA as a whole was not on trial. Referring to a visit to Pristina on Thursday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Tasholli said: “We tell her that we believe in European values but we do not believe in double standards when it comes to justice. We tell her: Not in our names.” Von der Leyen is on a partial Western Balkans tour taking in Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia. In a joint press conference with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti earlier on Thursday she said: “Nothing and nobody can rewrite Kosovo’s history.” Referring to the year of NATO’s military intervention against Milosevic’s Yugoslavia, she added: “1999 is engraved in Europe’s collective memory, the violent repressions, the humanitarian crisis, the suffering endured by your people. The European Union has stood with you ever since.” Turning to the verdict convicting the four wartime KLA leaders, she said that “this judgment is about the individual responsibility of the defendants. Kosovo resistance was not on trial, and we must respect the memory of all victims from all communities.” Kurti recalled that the initial allegations made against Thaci, concerning alleged organ trafficking, were not even included in the indictment. “Secondly, the charges of crimes against humanity and widespread, systematic attacks against the civilian population were dismissed,” he said. “Thirdly, the Specialist Chambers clearly stated that the KLA is not on trial and that their ruling is in no way intended to undermine the justice or legitimacy of the liberation war.” He claimed the trial had contained some factual and historical errors, and “we expect these issues to be rectified on appeal. Justice must be impartial, and it must be seen and perceived as impartial”. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers is part of Kosovo’s justice system but is staffed by internationals and seats in the Hague as a hybrid international tribunal. It was created in 2015, pressured by Kosovo’s Western allies. Thaci was one of its main supporters, saying it would prove the KLA’s war was just.