After more than 28 years without a definitive answer, the case of the disappearance and killing of activist Behajdin Allaqi received a judicial finding from the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

During the delivery of the first-instance judgment against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, the Trial Panel declared that Thaçi had personally participated in crimes committed against Allaqi.

The summary of the judgment states that Hashim Thaçi was directly involved in the arrest, detention, transfer and killing of Behajdin Allaqi. The same document also mentions his participation in the arrest, detention and interrogation of 13 lawmakers.

This assessment by the Court concerns Thaçi’s individual responsibility in the Allaqi case and does not represent merely general responsibility for the actions of other individuals.

The decision, delivered on September 16, 2026, is a first-instance ruling and may be challenged by the defense through an appeal. Thaçi has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, while the judgment is not yet final.

Behajdin Allaqi was born on April 7, 1963, in Prizren. He was a political activist, intellectual and member of the Albanian national movement, and had begun his involvement in Albanian political organizations as early as the 1980s.

In 1981, Allaqi took part in demonstrations, and later continued his underground activities to advance Kosovo’s political status. In the 1990s, he was active in the structures of the national movement and later joined the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Allaqi disappeared on June 11, 1998. His body has not been found and, until Wednesday’s judgment, local institutions had not provided a definitive explanation of his fate.

Throughout this time, family members, fellow activists and public figures called for the circumstances surrounding his arrest, disappearance and killing to be clarified.

According to the summary of the judgment, Thaçi had been a member of the General Staff and head of the KLA’s Political Directorate. In this capacity, according to the Court, he had played a key role in designing and implementing a common purpose.

This purpose included identifying people perceived as opponents of the KLA, arresting and detaining them, as well as establishing and operating detention facilities.

The Court also included in this framework the mistreatment and, in certain cases, killing of detainees, as well as the use of public statements and communiqués against people described as “collaborators” or opponents.

The Trial Panel concluded that Thaçi had contributed to this common purpose and had personally participated in some of the crimes. Among the cases mentioned was that of Behajdin Allaqi.

In the Allaqi case, the Court listed four stages of Thaçi’s involvement: the arrest, detention, transfer and unlawful killing.

Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi were also found responsible by the Trial Panel for their contributions to the common criminal purpose against people perceived as opponents of the KLA.

However, the public summary of the judgment does not say that Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi personally participated in the arrest or killing of Behajdin Allaqi.

Consequently, the judgment should not be interpreted as finding that all four accused were identified as executors or direct co-perpetrators of the killing. In the Allaqi case, the individual finding made public expressly concerns Hashim Thaçi.

Behajdin Allaqi’s name had been mentioned over the years in public statements, testimonies and political disputes. In the past, allegations had also been raised of strained relations between him and some of the then-political leaders of the KLA.

However, these allegations had not constituted a judicial decision, and the case had remained unresolved.

The September 16, 2026, judgment marks the first time that a trial panel has found Thaçi individually responsible for the arrest, detention, transfer and unlawful killing of Behajdin Allaqi.

The summary of the decision was also reported by The Guardian, while live coverage from the hearing was also published. The full judgment and the official transcript are expected to be made public in the Kosovo Specialist Chambers’ document database.

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