Thousands of people protested in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital, against the war crimes trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders. The rally took place on Tuesday, marking 18 years of Kosovo's independence. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague is hearing closing arguments in the trial this week. The trial involves former president Hashim Thaci, ex-Speakers Jakup Krasniqi and Kadri Veseli, and ex-lawmaker Rexhep Selimi. They were arrested in 2020. They face charges of persecution, murder, torture, and forced disappearances during the 1998-1999 war for Kosovo's independence. Thaci served as Kosovo’s prime minister, foreign minister, and president from 2008 to 2020. More than 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, died during the conflict under Serbian forces. Judges will give a verdict within three months. The accused deny all charges. Prosecutors seek 45-year sentences for each. Many in Kosovo see former KLA leaders as national heroes. Protesters wore KLA uniforms and waved KLA, Kosovo, and Albanian flags. Placards read “Freedom has a name” and photos of Thaci with “Heroes of War and Peace.” Buses brought supporters from all municipalities. Organizer Ismajl Tasholli told the crowd, “KLA’s war remains a liberation war, and this cannot be undone. If justice deviates, we are here to tell them: ‘Not in my name, not in our name.’” Protester Miran Zeka from Albania said, “Those who deserve to be in The Hague are the occupiers, not the liberators.” The Kosovo Specialist Chambers, staffed by international judges, was created in 2015 to try war crimes by former KLA fighters. It operates outside Kosovo to protect witnesses from intimidation.