Former President Hashim Thaci Sentenced to 25 Years for Kosovo War Crimes

Kosovo’s former president Hashim Thaci has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found criminally responsible for war crimes committed during the 1998-99 conflict.

According to a report by Sky News, Thaci, 58, was convicted by judges at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention while serving as a senior commander of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

The tribunal found him responsible for the murder of 96 political opponents and people accused of collaborating with Serbian security forces during the conflict.

Thaci was also convicted over the arbitrary and illegal detention of 385 people, the torture of 303 people and the cruel treatment of about 50 others.

The court said he had “actively participated in and encouraged crimes”.

“The scale and nature of the crimes committed were very serious,” presiding judge Charles Smith said.

“The so-called intelligence on which many of these victims were arrested, detained and killed was little more than unverified rumours. Based on that information, victims were called and described as spies and collaborators and violently treated.”

Thaci, who denied all the charges, stood in silence as the judge read out his conviction and sentence.

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He was tried alongside three other senior former KLA commanders — Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi — who faced multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and persecution.

Prosecutors had sought a maximum 45-year prison sentence for Thaci and the three other defendants. All four men denied the charges.

“Throughout my life, I stood with the people of Kosovo defending freedom, life and dignity. I was always guided by the Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice,” Thaci told the judges in February at the conclusion of his nearly three-year trial.

The verdict has been closely followed in both Kosovo and Serbia, where the legacy of the 1998-99 war and Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence remain deeply divisive issues between ethnic Albanians and Serbs.

Thaci remains a revered figure among many Kosovo Albanians, while the Kosovo Specialist Chambers has faced strong opposition in Kosovo.

Thousands of people rallied in Pristina ahead of the verdict in support of Thaci and the other three former KLA commanders.

Crowds gathered in a central square in the capital, with many waving red and black Albanian flags. One banner read: “In the name of the people, declare them innocent.”

As the verdict was announced, people watching the proceedings on a large screen booed and chanted “Thaci, Thaci”, while some were seen in tears.