Date revealed/ Here's when the verdict for the four former KLA leaders will be announced

2026-07-01 19:14:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Date revealed/ Here's when the verdict for the four former KLA leaders will

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague announced on Wednesday that the verdict for the four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army – Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi – will be announced on September 16 of this year.

In a media release, the court said that the panel has set the date for the pronouncement of the verdict for September 16, 2026, at 10:00 AM.

"The Trial Panel explained that the time required for the deliberations had been extended in accordance with the Rules, due to the large volume of evidence received and the complexity of the judicial process, and that this extension was justified by the need to make a reasoned, comprehensive and fair assessment of the case documentation," the announcement states.

Initially, the Trial Panel had until May 19 to announce the verdict. However, citing the complexity of the case, it decided to extend this deadline until July 20, 2026, and has now finally decided on September 16.

Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi are accused of acts such as murder, torture and persecution, allegedly committed during the years 1998-99 during the war for Kosovo's independence from Serbia.

All four have denied these allegations and have pleaded not guilty to charges involving around 155 victims.

Prosecutors have requested that they be found guilty and each sentenced to 45 years in prison for the alleged crimes.

Over 130 witnesses testified, while we received written statements from 160 other witnesses in this trial over the course of three years of hearings.

Their trial ended in February, and they have been held in custody in The Hague since their arrest in 2020.

The previous decision to postpone the date of the verdict was criticized as "unreasonable" in Kosovo, and a final long postponement like this is expected to spark criticism again.

But international law experts told Radio Free Europe that the postponement was common for a matter of this magnitude.

The Special Court is formally part of the Kosovo judicial system but is composed of international judges and prosecutors.

The trial of former KLA leaders has met with widespread opposition in Kosovo, as it is seen as biased, given that it does not include crimes committed by Serbs on the territory of Kosovo.

Since then, large banners and posters with the message "Freedom has a name" and photographs of former KLA leaders have been placed throughout Kosovo.

There have also been protests against this process in The Hague, Pristina and other cities.

Thousands of citizens participated in the "Justice, Not Politics" protest on Kosovo's Independence Day on February 17 this year in Pristina, in support of Thaçi, Veseli, Selim and Krasniqi. /REL