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Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, a guerrilla leader during the country’s war for Serbian independence in the 1990s, resigned to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in a special court based in The Hague.
Thaçi announced his resignation at a press conference in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. He said he was taking the step “to protect the integrity of the Kosovo presidency.”
He was tried by a special Kosovo court based in The Hague, Netherlands, which was created to try the alleged crimes of former ethnic Albanian rebel leaders. A spokesman for the prosecutor in court said he had no comment.
Thaçi is one of several politicians who have been prosecuted for crimes including murder, enforced disappearances, persecution and torture.
Also among them is the former speaker of parliament Kadri Veseli, who also said that an investigating judge had indicted him and that he planned to travel to The Hague on Thursday.
Three other former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders who fought for Serbian independence have been charged with war crimes by the court and an associated special prosecutor’s office established five years ago.
The exact details of the 10-count indictment against Thaçi, Veseli and others have not been released. In announcing the existence of the indictment earlier this year, the specialized prosecution alleged that Thaçi and others were “criminally responsible for almost 100 murders.”
At the time, the prosecution said that it made the existence of the indictment public due to what it described as repeated efforts by Thaçi and Veseli to “obstruct and undermine” the work of the court, adding that it was believed that they had tried to repeal the Law. Kosovo who created the court.
The court and prosecution formation followed a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, an international human rights organization, which included allegations that KLA fighters trafficked human organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and fellow ethnic groups. Albanian.
The court is mandated to investigate and prosecute allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Kosovo, or linked to the Kosovo conflict, between 1998 and 2000.
The 1998-1999 war for Serbian independence ended after a 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian troops.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, something that Serbia has yet to recognize.
