Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by a Hague tribunal for war crimes committed during the 1998-99 Kosovo war.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers found Thaçi guilty of murder, arbitrary detention, torture and cruel treatment linked to crimes committed against people perceived as opponents of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the conflict. The court found him responsible for the murder of 96 people, the arbitrary detention of 385, torture of 303 and cruel treatment of 49 others.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers said the crimes were committed between April 1998 and June 1999, during the Kosovo war between the KLA and Serbian and Yugoslav forces.
The court said most victims were civilians who were not participating in hostilities and had no legitimate security connection to the KLA. The judges said Thaci, as a senior member of the KLA General Staff and head of its Political Directorate, played a key role in the common criminal purpose that involved identifying perceived opponents, detaining them and, when necessary, killing them.
Thaçi supporters also gathered near the court in The Hague, where some briefly clashed with Dutch police. Police said two people were detained.
Kosovo foreign minister Glauk Konjufca called the verdict “a terrible judgment for Kosovo, for our people and for our liberation war”. Prime Minister Albin Kurti described it as an “unacceptable injustice”.
Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo called the judgment “unjust and unacceptable” and said it would continue to challenge the ruling through legal and democratic means.
Hashim Thaci was one of the senior political figures of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the 1998-99 war against Serbian forces. He later entered politics, founded the Democratic Party of Kosovo and became prime minister in 2008.
As prime minister, Thaçi declared Kosovo’s independence from Serbia in February 2008. He later served as president from 2016 until 2020, when he resigned after the war crimes indictment against him was confirmed and was transferred to The Hague.
