Thousands of people gathered in central Pristina on September 18 to protest against the convictions of four former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders by a war crimes court in The Hague, putting further pressure on Kosovo's newly formed institutions and highlighting divisions over the legacy of the 1998-99 war.

The protest in Skanderbeg Square was organised by the KLA War Veterans' Organisation, which called for the repeal or amendment of the law establishing the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, the dismissal of Justice Minister Donika Gervalla and greater international support for the defence of the convicted men.

The court on September 16 sentenced former Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi and former KLA political leader Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years in prison each, former parliamentary speaker Kadri Veseli to 18 years and former KLA commander Rexhep Selimi to 13 years.

The Specialist Chambers found all four guilty of war crimes including unlawful or arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and murder. It found that at least 385 people were unlawfully detained, 303 were tortured and 96 were killed. The panel acquitted the defendants of six charges of crimes against humanity, saying the prosecution had not established the required elements of a widespread or systematic attack on civilians.

The defendants have denied the charges and the verdict is subject to appeal. Thaçi's lawyer has said his defence team would appeal, citing what it described as errors of law and fact.

Memli Krasniqi, the former chairman of Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), wrote on Facebook: “We went out last night, we went out today at noon, we will go out again many more times to oppose the unscrupulous injustice of The Hague Court … Let's not stop. Our voice must be heard every day until justice is served.”

Hysni Gucati, head of the KLA War Veterans' Organisation, rejected suggestions that September 18's demonstration was driven by party politics.

“Do not try to politicise the truth nor put labels on national dignity. This protest is not being held for political games, nor at the expense of any party or politician this is a nationwide revolt against injustice to our liberators,” Gucati told protesters.

“We do not need and should not attempt to subdue this sacred cause by linking it to party battles are low and failed. This protest is only of the people and of our historical truth!”

Altin Krasniqi, the son of former KLA leader Jakup Krasniqi, also addressed the gathering, calling for political differences to be put aside.

“The only path to justice is to be all together, without political differences and without division,” he wrote ahead of the protest. “The KLA belongs to the people and our right must be protected by all.”

Kosovo's political establishment has reacted strongly to the verdicts. Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the ruling a “travesty of justice”, while acting President Albulena Haxhiu described it as “deeply shocking”.

The verdicts have also exposed contrasting interpretations of the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo and Serbia. Many ethnic Albanians in Kosovo regard the KLA as central to the struggle that ended Serbian rule, while in Serbia the organisation is associated with attacks on Serb civilians and other opponents.

The Specialist Chambers, established in 2015 and based in The Hague, were created to prosecute alleged crimes arising from the conflict. The current case concerned events between March 1998 and September 1999 in Kosovo and in Kukës and Cahan in northern Albania.

The court stressed that its judgment concerned the individual criminal responsibility of the four defendants rather than the legitimacy of the KLA's objective of an independent Kosovo.

The demonstrations have continued since the verdict. Protesters gathered in Pristina after the September 16 ruling, while supporters also demonstrated in The Hague. 

The protests take place as Kosovo's political institutions begin a new phase following the formation of a government led by Kurti, with the Hague verdict adding a highly sensitive issue to an already divided political environment.