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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Zana Cimili

Thousands in Kosovo march against war crimes trials on 18th anniversary of independence declaration

Kosovo Independence Anniversary - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

An air of defiance marked Kosovo's independence celebrations on Tuesday as thousands of people joined a march in support of former fighters who are facing trial at a Netherlands-based court for alleged war crimes during a 1998-1999 separatist war from Serbia.

Protesters, many wrapped in red and black Albanian flags, braved cold and snowy weather in the capital, Pristina, to voice their opposition to the proceedings in The Hague against former president and rebel leader Hashim Thaci and three others accused of atrocities during and after the conflict that killed some 13,000 people.

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