Key facts
- Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three other ex-commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army face a war crimes verdict.
- Prosecutors are seeking 45-year sentences for the defendants.
- The accused deny charges of murder and torture during the 1990s conflict with Serbia.
- The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague was established in 2015 to try former KLA fighters.
- Prosecutors allege over 100 political opponents and collaborators with Serbian forces were killed by KLA forces.
The Kosovo war crimes tribunal in The Hague is set to deliver its judgment on Wednesday in the case of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and several other wartime commanders. Prosecutors are seeking 45-year prison sentences for Thaci, 58, and three other former commanders of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who are accused of murder and torture during the territory's conflict with Serbia in the 1990s. The defendants deny all charges.
Prosecutors allege that KLA forces killed more than 100 political opponents and perceived collaborators with Serbian security forces during the 1998-99 conflict. Lawyers for Thaci have argued that the accusations are unfounded and lack direct evidence linking him to the alleged crimes or demonstrating his control over other KLA commanders.
The ruling is anticipated to be closely watched in Kosovo and Serbia, where the legacy of the 1998-99 conflict and Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence continue to be sources of tension. Thaci remains a revered figure for many ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, and the tribunal itself is unpopular there. Preparations have been made for potential protests, with police and foreign peacekeeping forces on alert.