Speaking about the Hague Tribunal verdict against the KLA leaders, which includes Hashim Thaçi, advocate and victims’ legal representative Aleksandar Olenik and Marko Savković from the ISAC Fund stated, that the sentences ought to have been life imprisonment or close to it, and that the sentences of 25, as well as 18 and 13 years’ imprisonment, respectively, could have been harsher.
Lawyer Aleksandar Olenik said that “from the perspective of justice, the law and the victims – if a war crime has already been established, then the sentences should be adequate to that”.
“As for the number and length of the sentence, I must say that when it comes to war crimes, especially where murders have been established, the practice of hybrid international courts has mostly been for it to be closer to life imprisonment than some number of years. The prosecution sought 45 years; this is roughly half that,” he said.
He also pointed out that he would not agree with comments suggesting this was a heavy sentence. “Especially since the appeal proceedings are still to come, and I must say – international humanitarian law, an established war crime, unfortunately our region has experience in this regard – sentences should be life imprisonment or close to life imprisonment,” he said.
Olenik on the victims’ reactions to the verdict
Olenik, acting as the victims’ legal representative, said that he had spoken with them in anticipation of the verdict and over the preceding days.
“For the most part, everyone was surprised; despite my assurances that I hoped the verdict would be a conviction, they were pleasantly surprised because they hadn’t expected it. They fled Kosovo to come here, they carry trauma, they were held in one of these camps that was the subject of the indictment, and their perspective and view on all of this is completely different. They have never rid themselves of that trauma, they still suffer the consequences,” he said.
He added that one of them passed away in the meantime and did not live to see the verdict.
“What mattered to the victims happened at the beginning of the trial – receiving official recognition as victims, being acknowledged as victims. In all criminal proceedings, victims primarily want satisfaction from their environment – to be recognised as victims. Until now, especially at the international level in ad hoc or hybrid tribunals, victims were merely a means of evidence to determine whether someone was guilty or not; the issue of the victims themselves was not addressed,” he explained.
Savković on the verdict: It is important that it was delivered
As Marko Savković told N1, noting that this is a first-instance verdict, it could have been even greater.
“Given that there was some speculation that some individuals might even be acquitted, meaning their time spent in custody could be credited, what we have now is a sentence that will, as one of your previous interlocutors said, calm passions on both sides. Then again, I am not certain, because we can see what the reactions coming from Priština are today,” Savković said.
He added that it is important that the verdict was delivered and that it shows us where we stand as a society.
“It tells us that we are a very long way from reconciliation as such, and that – and this is something pointed out not only by the verdict itself, but by the reactions to it – society and political actors in Kosovo have drifted far to the right, that the rhetoric has sharply intensified and that everyone is now reliving some kind of national moment,” he stated.
Speaking about the Serbs in Kosovo, he said they are united by a sense of exclusion.
“After years in which there was talk of integration, it did not happen; an attempt was made, followed by a series of political decisions that have brought us to the situation today, where it is not even certain to what extent Serbs participate in political life in Kosovo so that they can effectively fight for their rights, if we were to reduce everything to the level of national communities,” he said.
Unrest and violence in Priština
Albanians protesting against the guilty verdict handed down to former leaders of the so-called KLA for war crimes pelted the EULEX headquarters with stones throughout the night.
Pyrotechnic devices were also hurled at the building, causing part of the roof to catch fire, according to the Koha newspaper.
They carried flags of the so-called KLA and chanted “UÇK” (KLA). The building was secured by the Kosovo Police.
The previous day, demonstrators also pelted the EULEX headquarters and the building of the provisional institutions’ government in Priština with stones, and attempted to break into the international institution’s facility in Kosovo Polje.
Kosovo media reported that citizens from Priština walked on foot and drove in a convoy of cars towards the EULEX building.
They announced that they would continue protesting against the Hague verdict, which they consider unjust.
The Kosovo Police announced that during Wednesday’s protests in Priština, following the pronouncement of the Hague verdict, two people were detained, with one remanded in custody for up to 48 hours.
(N1, Newsmax Balkans, 17.09.2026)