Today the verdict for Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi is handed down amid great anticipation in The Hague and Kosovo

September 16, 2026 has entered history as the day when one of the most consequential decisions for Kosovo’s recent past is expected to be announced. The Specialist Chambers based in The Hague will deliver the first-instance judgment for four senior figures of the former Kosovo Liberation Army: Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi.

The session is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. and is expected to last about two hours. Due to broadcasting rules, the courtroom video and audio will be distributed in Kosovo’s territory with a ten-minute delay. High-level executive representatives are expected to be present in the courtroom, such as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca, and Andin Hoti, the minister responsible for Labour, Family, and the Values of the Liberation War.

The judgment comes after an investigative and judicial process that has lasted nearly six years. The four former commanders face serious charges, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. They themselves have pleaded not guilty to all counts of the indictment. The prosecution has argued that the defendants had sufficient authority to be part of a joint criminal enterprise, while the defense teams insist that the KLA was a dispersed guerrilla force and that decision-making was often in the hands of local commanders.

On the eve of the conclusion of this judicial saga, hundreds of citizens from Kosovo, the diaspora, and Albanian-inhabited territories have traveled to the Netherlands. Near the headquarters of the Specialist Chambers, since Tuesday evening, supporters have waved red-and-black flags and the state flag of Kosovo, holding banners and portraits of the accused. Dutch police have reinforced deployments around the area to ensure public order.

Kosovo’s capital has also reflected the same atmosphere of anticipation. In Skanderbeg Square in Pristina, what is being called the ‘Night of Waiting’ was organized, where numerous citizens stayed throughout the night in front of a giant screen displaying the faces of Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi. Support activities have not been limited to Pristina alone; gatherings and marches have been announced or held in Skenderaj, Mitrovica, and as far as Skopje.

During the process that began on April 3, 2023, a total of 134 witnesses have testified in court, most of them called by the Prosecution. The process has also included 156 victims officially recognized by the court. The presentation of evidence ended at the end of 2025, while the closing arguments of the parties were heard in February of last year.

Although the hope of family members and sympathizers is for an acquittal, the exact content of the case file remains unknown until it is read by the trial panel. Nevertheless, regardless of the outcome this Wednesday, all parties will have the right to appeal this first-instance judgment. The eyes of the entire Albanian public opinion remain focused on 10:00 a.m. on September 16.