Kosovar President Indicted On War-Crimes Charges

PRISTINA — A prosecutor in The Hague has indicted Kosovar President Hashim Thaci, former parliamentary chairman Kadri Veseli, and “others” for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during or after the 1998-1999 Kosovo conflict.

The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) said in a statement on June 24 the suspects “are criminally responsible for nearly 100 murders,” as well as the “enforced disappearance of persons, persecution, and torture.”

The alleged crimes involved “hundreds of known victims of Kosovo Albanian, Serb, Roma, and other ethnicities and include political opponents,” according to the SPO.

A 10-count indictment was filed with the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in The Hague that is investigating crimes committed during and after the war in Kosovo.

The country was part of Serbia until an armed uprising by the ethnic Albanian majority population in 1998-99 triggered a Serbian crackdown.

The conflict ended following a 78-day NATO bombing campaign to force Serbian troops out of Kosovo.

The war left more than 10,000 dead and over 1,600 are still unaccounted for.

The former Serbian province declared independence in 2008 — a move Serbia, Russia, and a handful of European Union member states refuse to recognize.