Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci sentenced to 25 years for war crimes
A Kosovo war crimes tribunal convicted Hashim Thaci on four counts linked to the 1990s conflict with Serbia, including murder, torture and illegal detention.
Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after a Kosovo war crimes tribunal convicted him of four war crimes committed during the territory’s violent break from Serbia in the 1990s.
The tribunal found Thaci, 58, guilty of offences including murder, torture and illegal detention. The charges related to his role as a senior commander of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army during the conflict.
The tribunal said KLA forces were responsible for the murder of 96 political opponents and people perceived to have collaborated with Serbian security forces. That finding was part of the case against Thaci.
Presiding Judge Charles Smith read the sentence on Wednesday as Thaci, wearing a suit and tie, stood in silence.
Thaci was tried alongside former KLA commanders Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and Kadri Veseli. The four men had pleaded not guilty to allegations including murder, torture and persecution connected to the 1998–99 Kosovo war. The supplied material does not state the verdicts for the other defendants.
