Thousands rally in Pristina after Thaçi and former KLA leaders receive prison sentences

PRISTINA, KOSOVO – SEPTEMBER 16, 2026: Thousands of people gather in central Pristina following the verdict delivered by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague against former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders. Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi were sentenced to 25 years in prison, Kadri Veseli to 18 years and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years after being found guilty of war crimes including arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and murder during the 1998–1999 Kosovo conflict. The four were acquitted of crimes against humanity. After the verdict, protesters carrying KLA and Albanian flags marched through the capital toward EULEX facilities, where some threw stones and other objects as riot police formed barricades and blocked access to the premises. The first-instance judgment can be appealed. Photo: © Lum Hajrullahu / MedPress