The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Wednesday convicted four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) of war crimes, following a trial that lasted more than three years.
Hashim Thaçi was sentenced to 25 years in prison, Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years, Kadri Veseli to 18 years, and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years in prison. The time they have already spent in pre-trial detention since November 2020 will be credited toward their sentences.
The prosecution failed to prove the existence of a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population, resulting in the dismissal of the charges of crimes against humanity.
However, the court found that several war crimes had been proven and that the four accused bore individual criminal responsibility for them.
According to the trial panel, the prosecution proved that during the war in Kosovo, KLA members carried out unlawful arrests and detentions, torture, and killings. The court found that 96 people were killed and at least 385 people were unlawfully detained.
The four former KLA leaders have denied the charges throughout the trial.
Nearly six years in The Hague
Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi were arrested in November 2020 and transferred to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers’ detention facility in The Hague.
The trial began on April 3, 2023. The prosecution concluded the presentation of its evidence in April 2025, while the evidentiary proceedings were closed in December of the same year. Closing statements were delivered in February 2026. A total of 134 witnesses testified during the trial.
In total, the prosecution brought 10 charges against the four former KLA leaders: six counts of crimes against humanity and four counts of war crimes.
The prosecution had sought sentences of up to 45 years in prison for each of them. The defense had called for the former KLA leaders to be acquitted.
The verdict is expected to be appealed
Today’s verdict is a first-instance judgment and can be appealed by the parties.
The trial in The Hague has been closely followed in Kosovo. Ahead of the verdict, thousands of people gathered in Pristina and The Hague in support of the four former KLA leaders.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers were established to prosecute alleged crimes committed in the context of the Kosovo war. On August 3, 2015, the Kosovo Assembly voted to approve the establishment of the Specialist Chambers, which became operational in 2017. Due to witness protection concerns and the need to ensure neutrality, it was decided that the court would be based outside Kosovo, in The Hague.
The case against Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi covered events in Kosovo, as well as in Kukës and Cahan in northern Albania.
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