Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci pleaded not guilty to all charges at the start of his war crimes trial. The former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) faces a special tribunal dealing with crimes committed during the Kosovo war.
Thaci faces 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including nearly 100 murders, torture and disappearances. Some of the acts are said to have been committed after the end of hostilities. The three former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who were also accused had previously pleaded not guilty.
In the late 1990s, the KLA fought for Kosovo’s independence when it was still a province of Serbia under the late Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic. More than 13,000 people, most of whom belong to Kosovo’s Albanian majority, are said to have died in the uprising. Among his supporters, Thaci is regarded as a war hero who led Kosovo to independence.
Special tribunal on the Kosovo war
The special tribunal, established in 2015, deals specifically with crimes committed during the Kosovo war of 1998-1999. In 2008, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. However, the government in Belgrade still considers it a Serbian province.
Source: Krone
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