A war crimes tribunal will announce its verdict on Wednesday in the trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi on charges related to the 1990s conflict for independence from Serbia.
Prosecutors have sought sentences of 45 years in prison for Thaçi, 58, and three other former senior commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). They deny all charges, while their lawyers have sought acquittals.
Large screens have been set up in various cities across Kosovo showing the countdown to the verdict, which is expected to begin at 10:00 a.m. in The Hague, or 08:00 GMT. On Saturday, thousands of people took part in a rally in the capital, Pristina, demanding their release.
The trial has highlighted how vivid the memories of the Balkan wars of the 1990s remain for the people of the region and how entrenched the attitudes on ethnic issues that emerged during the breakup of Yugoslavia continue to be.
The large public funeral held last week in Belgrade for Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic, who died while serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, showed that public opinion remains divided over the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
According to political analysts, the outcome of the trial against Thaçi could affect Kosovo's relations with the West, especially with its ally, the United States, as well as create new tensions with Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state.
Thaçi and three other former commanders are accused of persecution, murder, torture and forced disappearance of Kosovo Albanians and Serbs during and immediately after the 1998-1999 uprising, which ultimately led to the secession of Albanian-majority Kosovo from Serbia.
Prosecutors have said that more than 100 political opponents and perceived collaborators with Serbian security forces were killed during what they describe as a violent attempt by the KLA to seize political control.
Thaçi's lawyers have argued that the charges are baseless and an attempt to rewrite history. According to them, there is no evidence directly linking Thaçi to any of the alleged crimes or that he controlled other KLA commanders.
Tectonic events
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers, composed of international judges and lawyers, are deeply unpopular in Kosovo. Under international pressure, Pristina agreed in 2015 to establish the court, which handles war crimes cases against former KLA members under Kosovo law.
Due to the risk of witness intimidation, many of the prosecution's witnesses have testified behind closed doors, which has increased Kosovars' distrust of this institution.
"For us, Hashim Thaçi is a hero of Kosovo, a freedom fighter. He should return to Kosovo," said Mentor Plakaj, a resident of Pristina.
Thaçi was president of Kosovo from 2016 to 2020 and prime minister from 2008 to 2014.
“The decision is a tectonic event,” said Agon Maliqi, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Center for Europe.
According to him, if Thaçi is found not guilty and released, this could change the balance of forces in Kosovo politics in favor of his pro-Western opposition party and restore confidence in greater cooperation with the West for regional security.
Maliqi said Kosovo's politics are deeply divided, especially over relations with the West. If Thaçi is found guilty, Kosovo could drift even further away from the West than it has already done under Prime Minister Albin Kurti, he added.
“The outcome of the decision will also have an immediate impact on the already tense ethnic relations within Kosovo, as emotions will be strong and radical forces, including external actors, may have an interest in inciting tensions,” Maliqi said.
In a longer-term perspective, the decision could also affect the chances for a lasting peace with Serbia, depending on Belgrade's reaction, he added.
Even if Thaçi is acquitted of war crimes charges, he is unlikely to be released immediately, as prosecutors have sought a six-year prison sentence for him in a separate case for alleged witness tampering. Thaçi denies these charges as well.
