Kosovo is waiting”: Citizens march in Pristina in support of former KLA leaders ahead of September 16

Thousands of citizens from Kosovo, Albanian-inhabited territories and the diaspora took to central Pristina on Saturday for the “March for Freedom,” organized in support of Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi, who are being tried by the Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

The protest was held four days before the scheduled date for the announcement of the final judgment in the trial against the four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Citizens filled Skanderbeg, Mother Teresa and Zahir Pajaziti squares, as well as the streets connecting them. Participants carried national flags, Kosovo flags and KLA symbols. Among them were war veterans, relatives of martyrs and the accused, political representatives and citizens from various municipalities.

The civic platform “Freedom Has a Name,” which organized the march, announced after its conclusion that around 100,000 citizens had taken part. However, this remains a figure provided by the organizers and has not so far been confirmed by any independent institution.

According to the organizers, the gathering aimed to express solidarity with the four former KLA leaders and convey the demand for their release and acquittal.

Hysni Gucati, chairman of the Organization of KLA War Veterans, called on participants to demand a fair and impartial judicial process. He said that neither the liberation war nor the sacrifice of the people of Kosovo could be undone through a judicial process.

Bedri Hamza, chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, also delivered a speech. He called on the judges in The Hague to take into account, as he put it, the consequences of the decision expected to be announced on September 16. Hamza warned that a verdict that participants and citizens deemed unjust would not be easily accepted in Kosovo.

Ardian Gjini, chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, said that Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi had fought for the freedom of the country. According to him, the history of Kosovo’s liberation war cannot be tarnished.

The Government of Kosovo thanked the organizers and participants for holding the march and for their conduct. The Kosovo Police announced that the gathering concluded peacefully and without incident.

The trial of Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi began on April 3, 2023. The four accused have been held in pretrial detention in The Hague since November 2020.

The indictment includes six counts of crimes against humanity and four counts of war crimes. The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office alleges that the acts for which they are charged relate to the period from March 1998 to September 1999, as well as events that took place in Kosovo, Kukës and Cahan in Albania.

The prosecution has requested 45 years in prison for each of the four accused. Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi have denied all the charges and pleaded not guilty to every count of the indictment.

The prosecution completed its presentation of the case in April 2025, while the defense concluded the presentation of its evidence in December of the same year. Closing statements were presented in February 2026.

The Specialist Chambers have decided that the judgment will be announced in a public session on September 16. The decision is expected to be among the most important the court has issued since its establishment.

The march ended with patriotic songs, while the organizers reiterated their demand that the four former KLA leaders be acquitted. / BS