Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of war crimes committed during the 1998–99 Kosovo conflict.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague found Thaçi, 58, guilty of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention while he was a senior commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
The crimes were committed during Kosovo’s armed struggle to break away from Serbia, which involved fighting between ethnic Albanian KLA forces and Serbian security forces.
The court found Thaçi criminally responsible for the killing of 96 people, including political opponents and individuals suspected of collaborating with Serbian security forces.
Thaçi has consistently denied the charges against him. He resigned as Kosovo’s president in 2020 after being indicted and transferred to The Hague to face trial.
The trial, which began in April 2023, involved testimony from 134 witnesses and concluded with closing statements in February 2026. The case was brought against Thaçi and three other former KLA commanders over alleged crimes committed during the conflict.
The verdict marks a major development in the long-running proceedings over alleged crimes committed during the Kosovo war, with the case closely watched in Kosovo and Serbia.
Goodness Anunobi
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