Final hearing begins in trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders

The final hearing in the trial against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) has begun in The Hague.

Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi are appearing today before the trial panel of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, where the first-instance verdict against them will be announced, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

The hearing is open to the public. It is also being broadcast through the Kosovo Specialist Chambers’ platforms, with a 10-minute delay and in three languages: Albanian, English and Serbian.

Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi are charged with six counts of crimes against humanity and four counts of war crimes. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial against the four former KLA leaders began on April 3, 2023. After more than two years of presenting evidence, testimony and arguments from the parties, the evidentiary phase concluded on December 18, 2025. Closing statements were heard from February 9 to 18 this year.A total of 134 witnesses testified during the trial. Of these, 125 were called by the Prosecution, two by the Victims’ Counsel and seven by the Defence teams. A total of 156 victims are also participating in the proceedings.

The four former KLA leaders have been in detention in The Hague since November 2020.

Attention in Kosovo and The Hague is focused today on the announcement of the verdict, while citizens, family members and various representatives from Kosovo have traveled to the Dutch capital.

KosovaPress will follow developments from The Hague throughout the day, including the announcement of the verdict and the reactions that follow.

Photo: Chat GPT