Kosovar President Hashim Thaçi has been charged with alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by prosecutors at the Special Court for Kosovo. Nine ex-combatants are also charged with war crimes in connection with the conflict against Serbia in the late 1990s.

Hashim Thaçi is more specifically accused of "crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, enforced disappearance of people, persecution and torture," the tribunal, based in The Hague, announced on Wednesday (June 24th) in a statement. Hashim Thaçi, head of state of Kosovo since 2016, has been charged with ten counts, the court said. A court judge "is currently examining the indictment to decide whether to confirm the charges," the statement said.

Kosovar President Hashim Thaçi is a former politically converted guerrilla who led his country to independence from Serbia in 2008. For two decades, he has occupied the forefront of the Kosovar political scene.

He had been an emblematic commander of the Kosovar Albanian independence guerrilla (UCK), which fought against the Serbian forces during the conflict of 1998-99, before becoming Prime Minister (2008-2014), then the head of diplomacy, in December 2014.

One hundred murders

These accusations also concern Kadri Veseli, the former head of Kosovar guerrilla intelligence and current leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), as well as "other people".

"The indictment alleges that Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli and the other accused suspects are criminally responsible for almost 100 murders," the court said.

Created in 2015, the Special Court for Kosovo is responsible for investigating alleged crimes committed by the Kosovar Albanian independence guerrilla (UCK), mainly against Serbs, Roma and Albanian opponents of guerrilla warfare during and after the conflict. 1998-99.

With AFP

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