Serbian President Vucic denounces Hague verdict on former KLA leaders

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers, an international court based in The Hague, found former KLA leaders Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi guilty of war crimes, handing down a combined 81-year prison sentence. Charges included arbitrary detention, torture, cruel treatment and murder, while the court acquitted them of crimes against humanity, citing insufficient proof of a systematic attack. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic attacked the ruling, claiming the tribunal avoided undermining the KLA’s credibility and failed to address alleged crimes against Serbs after NATO’s KFOR deployment in June 1999.

He also linked the verdict to broader regional narratives that portray Serbs solely as perpetrators. Legal commentator Aleksandar Olenik praised the decision for advancing victim rights and noted that further prosecutions will proceed in Kosovo’s domestic courts. Observers warned that, despite the legal progress, the judgment is unlikely to immediately improve Serbia-Kosovo ties, which remain strained.