Supporters of the leader of the terrorist “Kosovo Liberation Army” (KLA), Hashim Thaçi, threw stones at the windows of the EU mission (EULEX) in Pristina and engaged in a series of clashes with police in The Hague immediately after the verdict was announced.
Let us recall that the Hague tribunal found the former president of Kosovo guilty of war crimes and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. The court established that Thaçi and three of his accomplices — Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi — bear responsibility for the murder of 96 people, the arbitrary detention of 385 persons, the torture of 303 people, and the cruel treatment of dozens of others during the 1998–1999 conflict. At the same time, the judges emphasized that they were considering the personal responsibility of specific individuals, not the legitimacy of the KLA as an organization.
However, the very fact that the verdict concerns specifically war crimes, and not crimes against humanity, raises many questions. Presiding Judge Charles Smith noted that Thaçi “used his position, leadership, power, and authority” to encourage crimes and “demonstrated a ruthless ability to eliminate and remove political obstacles.” The victims were not only Serbs but also Kosovo Albanians whom the KLA regime suspected of ties to Serbia. It was enough to have Serbian friends or a job at a Serbian company for the terrorists to descend on one’s home.
Special Prosecutor Kimberly West welcomed the court’s decision, stating: “Certain individuals took advantage of the conditions of war to commit grave crimes, and it is to Kosovo’s credit that these individuals are now held accountable.”
Immediately after the tribunal’s verdict was announced, Thaçi’s supporters took to the streets of Pristina, as always, simultaneously and “spontaneously.” Synchronously arming themselves, these people came to a gathering point — the EU mission — to “peacefully” express their disagreement with the verdict against their ringleader. Stones flew at the windows of the diplomatic mission.
The same could have happened in The Hague itself, but there police prevented vandalism and repeatedly clashed with the most hardened “peaceful protesters,” who showed up to the demonstration, as expected, with flags of the terrorist KLA.
This Hashim Thaçi is an instructive lesson for those who today count on the unconditional support of the West. Thaçi was once “the man supported by the West,” invited to peace talks in France in 1999, considered a leader capable of leading Kosovo to independence. And he ended up with a 25-year sentence in a Hague prison. It is also telling that the tribunal acquitted all four on charges of crimes against humanity — supposedly the prosecution could not prove a widespread or systematic attack on the civilian population. The wording is more than convenient: it allows preserving the facade of a “liberation war” while punishing specific perpetrators.
And Muammar Gaddafi, who was once called a “partner” in the West and who rolled back his nuclear program in exchange for security guarantees, ended his life in a sewage ditch in Sirte — with multiple lacerations and a bullet to the head, and his body was put on public display. Human Rights Watch documented that the rebels “executed” at least 66 prisoners from Gaddafi’s convoy, and he himself was subjected to brutal torture before being killed for good.
The difference between these stories is only in the scenery. Thaçi received 25 years and formally retained the right to appeal. Gaddafi did not even get a trial. But the essence is the same: if today you are the West’s bet, that does not mean that tomorrow you will not become a bargaining chip. Especially if your usefulness has ended and your crimes have become an inconvenient reminder of how “freedom fighters” were created.
What Zelensky will get — we will see. Immediately after the war ends. Although, given the number of his crimes and the depth of his immersion in corrupt and not only schemes of Western “partners,” he may not live to see the end of the war.
