Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes
Колишнього президента Косова Хашима Тачі/ Фото з відкритих джерел
A specialized court in The Hague has found former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci guilty of war crimes committed during the conflict in the late 1990s, including murder, torture, and illegal detention.
Reuters reports this.
Thaci, 58, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his actions as supreme commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), a predominantly ethnic Albanian force, during the armed conflict with Serbian forces in the 1990s.
The court found Thaci guilty of the murder of 96 political opponents and people whom the KLA considered to be members of Serbian security forces.
He was also found guilty of the illegal and arbitrary detention of 385 people, the torture of 303 people, and the ill-treatment of approximately 50 people.
According to the court, Thaci “actively participated in the crimes and incited their commission.”
Presiding Judge Charles Smith said the crimes committed were extremely serious.
He also noted that the information on the basis of which many people were detained, imprisoned and killed was unverified rumors. According to the judge, the victims were labeled as spies and collaborators on this basis and were treated cruelly.
Thaci listened silently as the verdict and sentence were announced. He denies all charges and has the right to appeal the decision.
The verdict has drawn considerable attention in Kosovo and Serbia, where the aftermath of the 1998-1999 conflict and the declaration of independence in 2008 remain a source of tension between Kosovo Albanians and Serbs.
In Pristina, thousands of people watched the hearing on a big screen. They booed the verdict, chanted “Tachi, Thaci,” and some in attendance cried.
Meanwhile, police and international peacekeepers prepared for possible protests that could turn violent. The United States urged its citizens to avoid large gatherings. The Albanian prime minister also criticized the court’s decision.
Prosecutors had previously demanded 45 years in prison for Thaci and three other former senior VLA commanders.
At the same time, a three-judge panel dismissed six charges of crimes against humanity, saying the prosecution had failed to prove they were committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on the civilian population.
In particular, Thaci’s trial began in 2023. He and three of his closest associates were charged with 10 episodes of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
After being indicted in November 2020, Thaci resigned from the presidency and voluntarily surrendered to the court.