War Crimes Verdict
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi receives a 25-year sentence for war crimes.
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Key Points
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Thaçi resigned as Kosovo’s president nearly six years before the verdict and surrendered to the court to face the charges; he said at the time that the case was difficult for his family and supporters of his decades-long struggle for independence.
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The charges had already ended Thaçi’s presidency after his 2020 indictment, which accused him of responsibility for enforced disappearances as well as murder, torture and illegal detention during and after the war.
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Thaçi also served more than seven years as Kosovo’s prime minister, and his public image had been further damaged by a 2010 Council of Europe report alleging links to organized crime and serious abuses committed during and immediately after the conflict.
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In Pristina, people watched the ruling live from a public square where a countdown clock had been running for days; tens of thousands had rallied there on the preceding Saturday to demand acquittal for Thaçi and the other former KLA commanders.
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A legal representative for Kosovo missing persons’ families said the case was about more than punishment, arguing that families had spent three decades seeking the truth about what happened to their relatives.
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi was sentenced to 25 years in prison on war crimes charges, including murder, torture, and arbitrary detention during the 1998–99 conflict Yahoo News. A three-judge panel at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague convicted Thaçi and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders of targeting perceived opponents, ethnic minorities, and Albanians accused of collaboration, affecting at least 407 detainees The Epoch Times.
Thaçi's Decade-Long Legal Battle Ends
Thaçi resigned as Kosovo's president nearly six years before the verdict and surrendered voluntarily to face the charges Morning Chronicle. His 2020 indictment had already ended his presidency, accusing him of enforced disappearances, murder, torture, and illegal detention. A 2010 Council of Europe report had previously damaged his reputation by alleging links to organized crime and serious abuses during and after the war Morning Chronicle.
Four KLA Commanders Convicted Together
The verdict came after nearly six years of proceedings and 234 hearing days. Judges found that Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi played significant roles in the crimes Yahoo News. All four had pleaded not guilty and argued that the KLA lacked centralized control during the 1998–99 conflict The Epoch Times.
Thousands Rally in Pristina as Verdict Draws Crowds
In Kosovo's capital, tens of thousands gathered in a public square on the Saturday before the verdict to demand acquittal for Thaçi and the other commanders Morning Chronicle. The square had featured a countdown clock for days leading up to the ruling. People watched the verdict live from the public gathering, a visible sign of how the case divided Kosovo Morning Chronicle.
Families Seek Truth After Three Decades
A legal representative for Kosovo missing persons' families said the case was about more than punishment Morning Chronicle. Families have spent 30 years seeking answers about what happened to their relatives who disappeared during and after the war Morning Chronicle. The verdict offers a chance to establish the truth about those killed or disappeared, according to families' advocates.
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