The protest held on August 7 in Pristina demanding the release of former commanders of the disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) will continue in The Hague on September 14, KosovaPress reported, citing the KLA Veterans' Organization.
The case against the four former commanders – Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Yakup Krasniqi – began at the Special Court for Kosovo in The Hague on 3 April 2023. They were detained on 4 and 5 November 2020 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1998–1999 Kosovo war. They all deny the charges and have pleaded not guilty.
On 7 August, thousands of people took to the centre of Pristina to express their dissatisfaction with the Special Court and the "injustices" against former KLA commanders.
The KLA Veterans' Organisation announced that the protest in The Hague would begin on 14 September at 2pm local time. The initiative is supported by the Albanian diaspora, as well as former KLA members.
The Special Court for Kosovo – also known as the Kosovo Specialist Chambers – was established in 2015 by the Kosovo parliament to try war crimes cases, primarily against former KLA fighters. Although part of the Kosovo judicial system, the court is staffed with international judges and lawyers and is located in The Hague, Netherlands. One reason for its location is concerns about witness intimidation.