PRISHTINA, September 18, 2026 — Edward P. Joseph, a researcher and lecturer at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C., has expressed concern over the length of the prison sentences handed down by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers to four former senior Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders.
Speaking to KallxoPërnime, Joseph said the disappointment expressed in Kosovo following the verdicts was understandable. He also argued that the judgment could create a perception that the case amounts to an indictment of the KLA itself and its wartime struggle against Serbian repression during the 1990s.
Joseph said the contrast with Serbia’s treatment of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić could further contribute to such perceptions. He argued that Serbia and its supporters in Russia and China could use the verdicts to advance their own narratives about the Kosovo war, while urging the public in Kosovo to approach such developments cautiously.
Joseph also referred to European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, saying her background in Slovenia could give her a particular understanding of the region’s history.
The U.S. scholar also discussed the possibility of appeals, drawing a comparison with the case of Croatian General Ante Gotovina, who was initially convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) before being acquitted on appeal.
Joseph stressed, however, that the cases are not identical. Gotovina was tried by the ICTY, while the four former KLA leaders were prosecuted before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
He identified defense lawyer Luka Mishetiq, who also represented Gotovina, as one point of similarity. Joseph also pointed to the appellate record of the Specialist Chambers as a factor to consider, arguing that, to date, prosecution appeals have achieved greater success than appeals brought by the defense.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers convicted the four former KLA leaders on September 16, 2026, in a first-instance judgment that remains subject to appeal.
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of crimes including murder, torture, cruel treatment and unlawful detention.
Kadri Veseli was sentenced to 18 years and found guilty of war crimes including unlawful or arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and murder.
Jakup Krasniqi received a 25-year sentence and was convicted of war crimes including arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and murder.
Rexhep Selimi was sentenced to 13 years after being found guilty of war crimes including cruel treatment, torture and murder.
The verdicts have been followed by protests in Kosovo, while the parties have the right to appeal the first-instance judgment before the Specialist Chambers’ Court of Appeals.
