A war-crimes tribunal in The Hague is preparing to deliver its verdict in the trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three other senior former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders.
Thaci and his co-defendants have faced allegations including persecution, murder, torture and enforced disappearance arising from the 1998–99 Kosovo conflict.
Prosecutors have sought lengthy prison terms, alleging that victims included Kosovo Albanians and Serbs regarded as opponents or collaborators. Thaci and the other defendants have denied the charges.
The proceedings have remained politically sensitive in Kosovo, where many view former KLA leaders as central figures in the country’s struggle for independence.
Whatever the outcome, the judgment will be closely scrutinised for its interpretation of command responsibility, individual criminal liability and evidential standards in international war-crimes prosecutions.
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Source: Reuters
