Thousands rallied in Pristina on Thursday for the 16th day running against a first-instance verdict by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (a Hague-based tribunal staffed by internationals but part of Kosovo's justice system), which convicted four former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders of war crimes. Ex-President Hashim Thaci and former Speaker Jakup Krasniqi each received 25 years, while Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi were given 18 and 13 years; the verdict can be appealed, and Thaci's defence says it will do so. Protesters say the ruling tarnishes Kosovo's liberation war, though the court said the KLA itself was not on trial, a point echoed by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a visit to Pristina and by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who nonetheless expects errors to be corrected on appeal.