Hashim Thaci has pleaded not guilty as the war crimes and crimes against humanity trial of Kosovo's ex-president and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) leaders kicked off in The Hague on April 3.
Thaci, who was a leader of guerrilla fighters, faces 10 charges for allegedly targeting those perceived as enemies of the UCK as the group sought to seize power during an insurgency in 1998-99.
Prosecutor Alex Whiting said in his opening statement that the 54-year-old Thaci, who has been in detention for the past two years as he awaited trial, and the other defendants targeted ethnic Serbs and Roma during the conflict and in its aftermath.
"I understand the indictment and I am fully not guilty," Thaci, who was wearing a dark pinstripe suit, told judges at the court in the opening stage of the hearing.
The other three UCK leaders on trial also denied the charges.
Outside the courthouse, protesters supporting Thaci gathered with placards bearing the former president's image. Similar scenes occurred on the streets of Pristina, the Kosovo capital, the night before the trial began.
A commander of the UCK during the 1998-99 war, Thaci became popular in the young country in the years following its independence declaration and went on to lead Kosovo as president and prime minister at different times.
Thaci resigned as president of Kosovo in November 2020 after learning that The Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) had confirmed an indictment against him.
The KSC at the time said it was conducting ongoing operations in Kosovo that were being supported by Kosovar police and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX).
The KSC is mandated to look into allegations that members of the UCK committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1998-99 war to gain independence from Serbia.
It operates under Kosovar law but is based in The Netherlands to shield witnesses from intimidation.
The Council of Europe in 2020 said the charges against Thaci and the others relate to the alleged kidnapping and disappearance of at least 100 civilians, mostly Serbs and Roma, along with ethnic Albanian political opponents.
Kosovo's war of independence from Serbia left more than 10,000 people dead -- most of them ethnic Albanians from Kosovo. More than 1,600 people remain unaccounted for. The fighting ended after a 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbia.
Kosovo, which has a largely ethnic Albanian population, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move recognized by many Western states but not Serbia or its allies Russia and China.