Kosovo erupts after Thaçi sentenced to 25 years, Albanian President calls ruling “a shame”

Protests erupted in Pristina and The Hague after a special court sentenced former Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi and three other Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders to lengthy prison terms for war crimes, with some demonstrators attacking an EULEX facility.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on 16 September 2026 convicted Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi of 25 years each, Kadri Veseli of 18 years, and Rexhep Selimi of 13 years for war crimes including arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture, and murder committed in 1998-1999. The four were acquitted of crimes against humanity charges. The court found they shared a common criminal purpose targeting perceived opponents, including fellow Kosovo Albanians labeled collaborators as well as Serbs and Roma; it established responsibility for the detention of at least 385 people, torture of more than 300, and murder of at least 96. The verdict is a first-instance ruling and can be appealed. EUalive earlier today reported the details of the judgment.

Hague Kosovo war crimes court sentences former president Hashim Thaçi to 25 years

Thousands of supporters gathered in Pristina’s central square to watch the live broadcast. Many were stunned; some wept. Crowds whistled, chanted “UCK” (the Albanian acronym for the KLA), and shouted “Not in my name” after presiding Judge Charles Smith said the verdict was issued in the name of the people of Kosovo. A march through the capital followed, with pyrotechnics thrown. Some protesters tried to scale the fence of EULEX premises in Pristina but were blocked by police.

The demonstration then moved to the EULEX headquarters in Kosovo Polje (Fushë Kosovë), which also houses the Special Prosecutor’s Office. Masked individuals threw stones and other hard objects at the building, breaking several windows. Kosovo special police prevented a direct assault from the entrance. One person was arrested. In The Hague, thousands of Albanians from across Europe gathered near the court; after the verdict there were angry scenes and a brief clash with Dutch police, who detained two people. The crowd later dispersed.

Kosovo’s political leadership rejected the outcome while calling for calm. Acting President Albulena Haxhiu described it as deeply shocking news and a severe blow to the families, urging peace, dignity, and unity so that “the pain of this day must not divide us.” She noted the legal process is unfinished and the right to appeal must be fully used. Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca, who was in The Hague, called the decision “sad, unfair and undeserved” and a “terrible, draconian verdict for Kosovo, for our people and for our liberation war.” Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the convictions and sentences represented “an unacceptable injustice” and a harmful punishment. The verdict was formally pronounced in the name of the people of Kosovo, he added, but that formula should not be confused with the people’s will; it must be corrected on appeal. Kosovo would continue to support the defendants institutionally. The KLA War Veterans Organization called the ruling a shame for international justice and a lasting stain. Thaçi’s PDK party labeled it a great injustice based on claims it considers fabricated and nurtured by Serbian propaganda.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called the ruling a “shame.” The United States said it respected the verdict and urged all sides to avoid inciting rhetoric. The Specialist Prosecutor emphasized the importance of the judgment for the rule of law in Kosovo and delayed justice for victims. Thaçi’s lawyer announced an appeal, describing the outcome as a mockery of justice.

The reactions underscore how raw the wounds of the 1990s Yugoslav wars remain. Only days earlier, Serbia gave convicted Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladić a hero’s funeral in Belgrade after he died serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, including the Srebrenica massacre. Thousands attended; his body was returned on a government plane, military honors were rendered, officials from Serbia and Republika Srpska were present, and chants of “hero” rang out. The European Union condemned the glorification, postponed a planned visit, and warned that such scenes contradict the values required of an EU candidate country. Serbian officials and much of the public continue to view Mladić as a defender of Serbs.

Thousands gather in Belgrade for funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić

In Kosovo, Thaçi and the other KLA commanders are widely regarded as liberators who fought a just war against Serbian forces. In Serbia, figures like Mladić occupy a similar place in national memory. Both societies treat international verdicts against “their” side as politically motivated or one-sided. The parallel is uncomfortable but consistent: more than a quarter-century after the fighting ended, competing narratives of heroism and victimhood still dominate public reaction to accountability. Appeals will now play out over years. The immediate test for Kosovo’s institutions is whether protests remain contained and whether leaders keep their calls for dignity from sliding into confrontation with the very international missions that still operate on the ground.

This article draws on reporting by EUalive’s partner media BETA, IBNA and Siol.net

Caption: Supporters march towards the EULEX mission headquarters to show solidarity with former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders ahead of their upcoming trial verdict, in Pristina, Kosovo, 16 September 2026. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, Netherlands, sentenced Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi to long prison terms on ten counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1998–1999 Kosovo War. EPA/ARBEN LLAPASHTICA