The prosecution has charged Hashim Thaçi, the former president of Kosovo, along with three other commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, with war crimes that occurred during the conflict that led to Kosovo's separation from Serbia at the end of the 20th century. The accusations include the killing of over 100 political opponents and individuals believed to be agents of the Serbian security services, as well as the mistreatment of hundreds of others in detention camps.

Thaçi's defense claims that he did not have control over the activities of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the war, which complicates the prosecution's case. The charges emerge against a backdrop of Kosovo's tumultuous history, where the war claimed more than 13,000 lives, predominantly among ethnic Albanians, and concluded after a NATO-led bombing campaign that resulted in the withdrawal of Serbian forces.

Following the conflict, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia investigated war crimes committed in Kosovo, a process that later transitioned to a special court specifically for Kosovo, established in 2015. This ongoing legal battle highlights the complexities of accountability and justice in post-conflict settings, where political figures like Thaçi have had significant influence following the war.