Kosovo Police Cancel Leave Ahead of Taci Verdict in Hague
Pristina media report a wide-ranging police operational plan for September 16, the day the Hague-based court delivers its first-instance verdict on Hashim Thaci and three other former KLA leaders.
The Pristina outlet Paparazzi has reported that Kosovo police have drawn up a wide-ranging operational plan for Wednesday, September 16, the day the Specialist Chambers in the Hague hand down a first-instance verdict against four former commanders of the so called Kosovo Liberation Army: Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. Tanjug and B92 carried the story on September 14, citing the Albanian language portal. According to those reports, the plan includes canceling police officers’ annual leave starting September 15 and shifting numerous units to twelve hour shifts from the morning of September 16, with three reserve platoons on standby in Pristina.
Kosovo police responded to the reports with a statement that does not deny the plan exists, but insists it is routine procedure rather than an emergency measure tied specifically to that date.
What the plan actually covers
According to Paparazzi, in reporting also carried by Tanjug and Radio Kim, forces in Pristina are being reinforced with reserve platoons from six regional centers: Gnjilane, Urosevac, Prizren, Djakovica, Pec and South Mitrovica. The units are to be fully equipped for crowd control, and the document reportedly includes an exact procedure for the use of tear gas should it become necessary. Radio Kim adds that police intelligence services have been ordered to maximize information gathering, alongside stepped up patrols in neighborhoods with mixed populations.
Foreign missions are also reportedly receiving heightened protection: the United States embassy, the European Union Office, the Council of Europe Office, the residence of the EU representative, and the liaison offices of Russia, Greece and Romania. The same measure applies to prosecutors’ offices and court buildings. A fire crew has also been announced on standby from 10 a.m. on September 16 in the parking lot used by EULEX in Pristina’s Industrial Zone.
Police: standard measures, not emergency ones
In a statement carried by all three sources, Kosovo police said that planning and implementing security measures, including drafting operational plans, is standard procedure whenever significant events or mass gatherings are expected, not a response to a specific verdict date.
“In such cases, as was the case during the peaceful solidarity march on September 12, 2026, as well as during various other gatherings or activities, measures are planned to ensure safe crowd management, the preservation of public order and security, traffic regulation and the smooth running of events,” Kosovo police said.
The statement adds that police assessments also take into account the possibility that gatherings could be misused.
“Police assessments and planning also take into account the possibility that certain individuals or elements, including those from abroad, might attempt to exploit large gatherings for provocations, incidents or destabilizing actions,” Kosovo police said.
Police also stressed that the measures depend on the estimated number of participants and the overall assessment of the security situation.
“These are standard preventive measures applied based on the expected number of participants and the overall assessment of the situation,” Kosovo police said, urging citizens and media to rely solely on official information.
Context: the September 12 march
Srpske Vesti reported a few days ago on a march in support of Thaci and Veseli held in Pristina. B92 says around 150,000 people attended that gathering on September 12, during which threats were made in case the verdict turns out to be a conviction. Kosovo police are now citing that same gathering as precedent for the scale of the measures planned for Wednesday, when a rally in support of the former KLA leaders has also been announced in Pristina, running parallel to the verdict being handed down in the Hague.
The Specialist Chambers, composed of international judges and based in the Hague, are prosecuting Thaci, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The proceedings against the four have been running for years, and Wednesday, September 16, is the day the first, first instance ruling in that indictment is expected.
Whether the extensive security deployment, with twelve hour shifts and reserve units from six cities, stays at the level of readiness or is activated in full will become clear on Wednesday, September 16, the day the first verdict in this case comes down in the Hague.
