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Politics
Janine Natalya Clark, Professor of Transitional Justice and International Criminal Law, University of Birmingham

War crimes trial of Hashim Thaçi, the 'George Washington of Kosovo', will do little to reduce tensions in the Balkans

Hashim Thaçi, the former president of Kosovo and a founding member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), has been described as “one of the key figures” in the country’s recent history. He was elected as prime minister in January 2008 and declared Kosovo’s independence a month later.

Joe Biden, as US vice-president, referred to Thaçi as “Kosovo’s George Washington” when he visited the White House in 2010. Fast forward to April 2023 and Thaçi – with three other former KLA leaders (Rexhep Selimi, Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi) – is standing trial in a special court in The Hague. He is the most senior member of the KLA to be prosecuted.

The charges

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