Since the arrest of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders in November 2020, until the announcement of the date for the verdict, misinformation regarding the trial at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague has been continuously circulating online.
Former KLA leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes for the period March 1998 – September 1999. All four were arrested in November 2020. Closing statements were filed in February 2026. The verdict in the case known as “Thaci and Others” will be announced on September 16 at 10:00 (see here).
Developments around the trial in The Hague in the case "Thaçi and others" have occupied a significant space in the media and digital platforms in Kosovo, accompanied by a large number of misinformation. Hibrid.info has handled more than 100 pieces of content in which the names of the accused are mentioned. Although some of them were related to political developments in Kosovo, most of them had as their object the judicial process itself.
False claims about the acquittal, conviction or decisions of the Special Court
Since the beginning of the process and even before it, Hibrid.info has handled content that linked the names of the accused and the unfounded claims of the time for a judicial process. In November 2020, misinformation began with claims that “this is how much the founders of the KLA will suffer in The Hague” (see here).
The dominant claim for decision-making by the Special Court continued in the following years. In 2021, a false claim was made regarding the conviction of Rexhep Selimi (see here), was manipulated with the headline that "Vesel awaits a great punishment" (see here) and dates were given for the “release of Thaçi” (see here).
There have been ongoing claims of "release" on certain dates (see here, here and here, here and hereThere have also been false claims of conditional releases (see here, here and here).
At the end of 2024, Hibrid.info had handled a series of false claims for a Court decision (see here and here). From November 23 to December 3, 2024, 6 contents related to “decision on release” or “organization of reception” in Kosovo were addressed (see here, here, here, here and here)
The issue of “decision-making” has continued in varying waves of intensity. Even in 2025, dates were again given for the “release” of KLA leaders (see here and here).
False statements
Over the years, false claims have been made about statements made by public figures or even credible international media regarding actors being tried in The Hague.
The misinformation covered by Hibrid.info in this area is mainly related to false statements by political actors in Kosovo and abroad about the judicial process or even about the personality of the accused. Cases of manipulation of witness statements during the judicial process have also been identified (see here, here, here, here, here, here and here)
In some cases, statements by the accused themselves who are in The Hague have also been fabricated (see here, here and here)
Recently, Hibrid.info has addressed two publications that falsely present "reports" from credible international media as BBC and "The Guardian".
Reclaiming fake content
Another phenomenon has been the return of old content and its presentation as current developments (see here and here). Among the allegations were those related to the “arrival” in Kosovo of those indicted in The Hague (see here).
Through fabricated titles or titles that contradicted the content, a false perception was created.
Previous announcements of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for holding hearings were also presented as current (see here).
Also, an old publication with a false title, which claimed that Hashim Thaçi's assets were being confiscated, was assessed as disinformation (see here).
And as of 2024 and 2025, claims about a letter from former US President Joe Biden from 2019 and a photograph of Richard Grenell from 2023 had returned (see here and here).
This category also includes manipulations with visual and audio materials. Hibrid.info identified cases where a photograph from a protest against the sentencing of Sali Mustafa was used out of context, as well as an audio clip that falsely claimed that an American journalist had spoken about Thaçi (see here and here).
Manipulation of health status and personal events
Mainly at the beginning of the trial, publications' coverage related to the health condition of the defendants or events related to them and their families dominated.
Hibrid.info has on several occasions dealt with false content about Thaçi's "critical condition" and "heart attack", but also about his "death" (see here, here, here and here).
Meanwhile, there have also been false claims about the health conditions of Thaçi's mother and son (see here and here).
The facts:
On July 1, in a public announcement, the Special Court announced that the trial panel had set September 16, at 10:00 AM, as the date for the pronouncement of the verdict in the case in question (see here). So, there is still no decision and all previous claims about the "date" of the decision are reconfirmed as false.
Google searches or credible media regarding statements by international or even local public figures have revealed that the claims are false. Claims related to the health of the accused or their family members have also been found to be false.
What is officially known about the case??
Four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army face six counts of crimes against humanity and four counts of war crimes.
According to the indictment, the crimes alleged therein were committed at least from March 1998 to September 1999 at several locations in Kosovo, as well as in Kukës and Cahan, in northern Albania. These crimes are alleged to have been committed by members of the KLA against hundreds of civilians and persons not taking part in hostilities. The indictment alleges that Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi bear individual criminal responsibility for crimes that were committed in the context of a non-international armed conflict in Kosovo and were part of a widespread and systematic attack against persons suspected of being against the KLA.
Former President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, former Speakers of Parliament Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, and former MP Rexhep Selimi, were arrested on November 4 and 5, 2020.
In their appearances, they pleaded not guilty to all counts of the indictment.
According to the announcement on the Special Court's website, 125 witnesses from the Prosecution, 2 from the victims' lawyer and 7 from the defense appeared during the trial.
During the process, 27 decisions were made to detain Thaçi, 26 for Veseli and Krasniqi and 25 for Selimi.
On May 5, 2026, the trial panel extended the deadline for issuing the verdict by 60 days – until July 20.
On July 1, it set September 16, 2026 as the date for the pronouncement of the decision.
What is expected and what needs to be done?
Because the process in The Hague is coming to an end, misinformation about it may return.
- It is always necessary to verify who made the information public.
- Monitor Official website of the Special Court.
- Track the publication time.
- Follow fact-checking platforms.