Hague court to deliver verdict in war crimes trial of Kosovo’s former President Thaci

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci will learn his fate Wednesday when international judges at a court in The Hague deliver verdicts in his war crimes trial.

Thaci is facing multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, torture and persecution alongside three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who fought Serb forces in the 1998-99 war. They are widely regarded as national heroes in their homeland.

Thousands of people rallied in Pristina over the weekend in support of the four men. The protesters filled a central square in the capital, many carrying red and black Albanian flags.

Portraits of the four former KLA fighters have been plastered across the city along with a huge digital clock counting down to Wednesday's verdicts.

“In the name of the people, declare them innocent," one banner read.

Prosecutors at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers court in The Hague have asked for a maximum 45-year prison sentence for Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. They have all denied the charges against them.

“Throughout my life, I stood with the people of Kosovo defending freedom, life and dignity. I was always guided by the Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice,” Thaci told judges in February at the end of his nearly three-year trial.

According to prosecutors, the men targeted political opponents and civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors during their time in the KLA.

The staff at the European Union-backed court are largely international due to fears about witness safety and security. In 2022, the court convicted two leaders of a Kosovo war veterans’ association for intimidating witnesses by publicizing leaked confidential documents.

Thaci also faces a separate trial on charges of intimidating witnesses that will begin later this month.

He was a student who returned from what he described as political exile in Switzerland to join Kosovo’s struggle for independence. He earned the nickname “the Snake” for his ability to evade Serb forces during the conflict.

He was embraced by Western leaders, who invited him to the 1999 peace talks in France in his role as political director of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and was seen as a leader who could guide the country toward independence.

Thaci rose to political power after the war but resigned as president to defend himself before the court in The Hague.

Most of the 13,000 people who died in the war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day campaign of NATO airstrikes against Serbian forces ended the fighting. About 1 million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes.

In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, a move that Belgrade refuses to recognize. Ties between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense, despite years of negotiations mediated by the European Union and supported by the United States.

Associated Press reporter Molly Quell contributed to this report.

People rally in Pristina, Kosovo, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in support of the former president Hashim Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi ahead of their verdicts next week at a Netherlands-based court which tried them for alleged war crimes during a 1998-1999 separatist war from Serbia. (AP Photo/Zana Cimili)

People rally in Pristina, Kosovo, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in support of the former president Hashim Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi ahead of their verdicts next week at a Netherlands-based court which tried them for alleged war crimes during a 1998-1999 separatist war from Serbia. (AP Photo/Zana Cimili) ADDITION: adds the names of the former president Hashim Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi

People rally in Pristina, Kosovo, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in support of the former president Hashim Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi ahead of their verdicts next week at a Netherlands-based court which tried them for alleged war crimes during a 1998-1999 separatist war from Serbia. (AP Photo/Zana Cimili)

FILE - Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, top left, appears before the Kosovo Tribunal as he defends himself against charges including murder, torture and persecution allegedly committed during his country's war for independence from Serbia in the Hague, on April 3, 2023. (Koen van Weel/Pool via AP, File)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is due to make his first public appearance in more than a year on Wednesday, after the presiding judge in his case at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands said she expected the 81-year-old to attend a pretrial hearing.

Duterte, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity, has missed a series of hearings since his arrest last year. Medical reasons were cited for his absence but the court's judges ruled in January that he was healthy enough to stand trial.

Duterte's charges stem from his alleged involvement in dozens of killings as part of his so-called war on drugs while in office, first as the mayor of a southern city in the Philippines and later as president. He denies the charges against him.

“We would expect Mr. Duterte to be here unless there’s some medical issue,” Judge Joanna Korner said during a pre-trial hearing in June.

Wednesday's hearing is to discuss evidence disclosure and come up with a timetable for the trial, which will open in November.

“He’s fully aware that you’ll expect to see him sooner rather than later,” Duterte’s lead counsel Peter Haynes told the judges during the June hearing, referring to his client.

Duterte was arrested in March 2025 and was set to appear in court in The Hague in September last year. However, the hearing was delayed after a pretrial panel of judges granted a “limited postponement” to give the court time to determine whether Duterte was fit enough to take part in the proceedings.

Following an assessment by a panel of medical experts, judges ruled that Duterte is “fit to take part in the pre-trial proceedings.”

The ICC has been looking into mass killings in crackdowns overseen by Duterte since 2018. Estimates of the death toll during Duterte’s presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported up to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.

According to the prosecutors, police and government hit squads carried out dozens of killings at Duterte’s orders, motivated by the promise of money or to avoid becoming targets themselves.

A month after the court in February 2018 announced a preliminary investigation into the violent drug crackdowns, Duterte said the Philippines would withdraw from the ICC.

Last year, judges rejected a request from Duterte’s legal team to throw out the case because of the Philippine withdrawal. Countries cannot “abuse” their right to withdraw from the court’s foundational Rome Statute “by shielding persons from justice in relation to alleged crimes that are already under consideration,” the decision says.

Earlier this year, an attempt by authorities to arrest another man wanted by the ICC in connection with the drug killings dissolved into gunfire in the Philippine Senate in May. No one was hurt. The court had unsealed an arrest warrant for Ronald Marapon dela Rosa, who served as national police chief under Duterte. Dela Rosa went into hiding following the Senate standoff and remains on the run.

Two months later, the Philippine Senate, acting as an impeachment court, opened the trial of Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte. If convicted of the charges, which include amassing unexplained wealth and publicly threatening the family of the current president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., she may be permanently disqualified from holding public office. She denies the charges.

FILE - Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte takes oath during a senate inquiry on the so-called war on drugs during his administration at the Philippine Senate, on Oct. 28, 2024, in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)