Kosovo is turning 18, but this year the anniversary is marked by protests as well as celebrations.
The declaration of independence is being overshadowed by the trial of the man who proclaimed it, former President Hashim Thaci, and in particular by the prosecution's request for a 45-year prison sentence.
Closing arguments are now under way at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, with Thaci and three other former senior commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) on trial: Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi. Accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, they have been in pretrial detention since November 2020.
SEE ALSO: Prosecution Set To Wrap Up Case In War Crimes Trial Of Former Kosovar PresidentThe Specialist Chamber was established in 2015 by the Kosovo Assembly to prosecute mainly former KLA fighters for war crimes and is part of Kosovo's judicial system, but it operates with international staff and is based in The Hague. Fear of witness intimidation was one of the reasons the court is located there.
Closing Arguments
During closing arguments, which began on February 9 and are set to conclude on February 18, the Specialized Prosecutor's Office (SPO) described the KLA as a structured organization in which the four defendants held senior leadership roles. Prosecutors alleged that more than 50 KLA detention centers were used to unlawfully detain, abuse, and kill perceived opponents, including Albanians, Serbs, Roma, and others.
They said about 100 people were killed and cited 437 detention incidents between April 1998 and August 1999, most involving civilians. The prosecution presented KLA General Staff communiques that referred to the killing of alleged collaborators with Serbia and warned others not to follow the same path. The prosecution argued the crimes were committed to consolidate control over Kosovo and outlined the defendants' roles within the KLA leadership and the Provisional Government.
During the trial, the prosecution has called around 125 witnesses, many of them anonymous.
The defense teams rejected the allegations and argued that a 45-year sentence would amount to life imprisonment.
Thaci's lawyers argued there is no direct evidence of any plan to take control of Kosovo through crimes. They said Thaci was often outside Kosovo during the period covered by the indictment and did not attend General Staff meetings. Defense lawyers also said international witnesses had testified that Thaci was not suspected of war crimes at the time and that information from diplomatic and intelligence sources did not implicate him.
Prominent Western figures -- including former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Wesley Clark, former US State Department official James Rubin, and retired US diplomat Christopher Hill -- testified for the defense.
James Rubin gives evidence at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers on September 17, 2025.
Thaci's lawyers challenged the prosecution's claims of effective KLA command and control, saying there was no proof he knew of crimes allegedly committed by members of the KLA or the Provisional Government, or that he had real power as prime minister.
The defense concluded that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Thaci contributed to any crimes alleged in the indictment, including killings and unlawful detentions.
Case Hits A Nerve
Amer Alija, a legal researcher at the Humanitarian Law Center in Pristina, said the request for a 45-year prison sentence had no legal basis under the former Yugoslav law in force at the time the crimes were allegedly committed, 1998–99, or under current Kosovo legislation.
At the time, maximum sentences could reach up to 20 years in prison, while under Kosovo law today they go up to 35 years.
Agon Maliqi, a nonresident senior fellow with the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council, told RFE/RL that the prosecution's request had touched "a public nerve" across Kosovo.
While reiterating that he is not a jurist, Maliqi described the request as offensive, scandalous, and a desperate attempt by the prosecution to seek the maximum sentence in order to secure at least a lesser conviction.
"A guilty verdict seems implausible to me. To request sentences comparable to those for war criminals who killed tens of thousands of innocent civilians is entirely disproportionate," he said.
For comparison, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was sentenced to 40 years in prison, later extended to a life sentence, on multiple counts including the massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica, unlawful attacks on civilians during the siege of Sarajevo, and ethnic cleansing in which hundreds of thousands of people were driven from their homes.
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Karadzic Sentence Increased To Life By UN Court
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), founded by Thaci and now in opposition, has called a February 17 protest in Pristina in support of all four defendants.
PDK has voiced dissatisfaction with the government led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti over its handling of the case in The Hague, saying it has failed to provide adequate care and support for former KLA leaders over the past five years, including difficulties in financing the defense team.
Kurti and his party, the Self-Determination Movement, have long been critical of the Specialist Chambers and voted against their establishment.
On February 11, after nearly a year of political stalemate over government formation, Kurti opened his address to lawmakers -- while presenting the composition of the new government -- by saying the prosecution's efforts in The Hague are "an attempt that runs counter to the truth."
A day later, the newly elected parliament adopted a resolution calling for a fair trial for the accused in The Hague.
"Any attempt to equate the KLA's liberation war with the crimes of the genocidal Serbian aggressor undermines trust in justice and severely damages long-term peace," said President Vjosa Osmani, who is now seeking a second term.
After closing arguments conclude, the case moves to the judges, who have three months to deliver a verdict. Alija said they may request an additional two months to review the extensive evidence.