The Former President of Kosovo – Hashim Thaci has been detained in the city of ‘The Hague’ in Netherlands, over charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
This comes hours after he resigned from the office on Thursday, i.e., November 5, 2020, to face war crime charges. Thaci, along with 2 other accused was flown to Netherlands.
The other 2 people arrested with him are the leader of Democratic Party of Kosovo – Kadrim Veseli, and the Kosovo M.P. – Rexhep Selimi. A Former Spokesperson of KLA – Jakup Krasniqi, was arrested by police working for the EU mission in Kosovo and was sent to ‘The Hague’ before Thaci.
What are the charges?
Thaci is accused of being criminally responsible for the murder of 100 people during the Kosovo’s 1998-99 Independence war against Serbia, also known as Kosovo war. However, Thaci maintains he has not done anything wrong.
How have the reactions been?
Welcoming Thaci’s detention, the Balkans Researcher at Amnesty International – Jelena Sesar said, “ It brings hope for thousands of victims of the Kosovo war who have waited for more than two decades about the horrific crimes committed against them and their loved ones.”
The Independence War or Kosovo War
It is to be noted that Kosovo is partially recognised state and disputed territory in South-Eastern Europe. On 17 February 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia. It has since gained diplomatic recognition as a sovereign State by 98 member states of the United Nations (U.N.).
Thaci, a United States (U.S.) backed hero, was a former member of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), an ethnic-Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia. KLA voiced the eventual creation of Greater Albania due to the presence of a vast ethnic majority of Albanians in the region. The Independence war was started in 1998 and lasted until 1999.
KLA launched its first campaign in 1995 by attacking Serbian law enforcement in Kosovo. In June 1996, the group claimed responsibility for acts of sabotage targeting Kosovo police stations, during the Kosovo Insurgency. In 1997, the organisation acquired a large number of arms through weapons smuggling from Albania.
Conflict escalated when Yugoslavian army retaliated with a crackdown in the region which resulted in violence and population displacements. The ethnic cleansing of thousands of Albanians driving them into neighbouring countries led to the intervention by U.N., NATO and International NGOs, which eventually concluded the war.
The Investigation
A 2011 report by the Council of Europe named Thaci as the leader of the criminal offshoot of KLA and accused him of the war crimes. In 2015, Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) was set up to investigate alleged crimes against ethnic minorities and political opponents by the KLA during the war in which Kosovo broke away from Serbia.
New Leadership in Kosovo On stepping down from Presidency, Thaci said that he doesn’t want a State Leader to face trials. He has also asked the people of Kosovo remain calm. Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Speaker of Kosova – Vjosa Osmani will act as the President until a new leader is elected
