Kosovo’s former President Hashim Thaçi was sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers operating in The Hague, Netherlands.
Former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army were also tried at Wednesday’s sentencing hearing. The court sentenced Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years, Kadri Veseli to 18 years and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years in prison.
The charges brought by the court
Thaçi and the other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders were convicted of war crimes including deprivation of liberty, cruel treatment, torture and murder. The defendants were held in custody in The Hague throughout the trial.
The prosecution had sought prison sentences of 45 years for each of the former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders.
Thousands in Kosovo watched the hearing
Thousands of people in squares in Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, and other cities across the country watched the sentencing hearing on large screens. Crowds expressed deep sadness after the verdict was announced.
Second trial of Thaçi continues
A second case against Thaçi in The Hague, involving allegations of witness intimidation, is also continuing. Dozens of former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army have been summoned to testify since the beginning of 2019.
The first indictment against the former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders was confirmed on October 26, 2020. The trial of the defendants began on April 3, 2023. The indictment held the defendants responsible for the deaths of approximately 100 people and charged them with war crimes including murder, forced displacement and torture.
The Kosovo War and the path to independence
The Kosovo War, fought in 1998 and 1999, ended with NATO ground and air operations against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which included Serbia and Montenegro. More than 10,000 people in Kosovo, most of them Albanians, were killed during the war, while more than 1 million people from different ethnic groups were forced to leave their homes.
The Kosovo Liberation Army was established by Kosovo Albanians in the 1990s to fight Yugoslav forces and turn Kosovo into an independent state. The organization was disbanded after the war, and its leaders and members joined the security institutions established in the country.
Kosovo declared unilateral independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008. Serbia still considers Kosovo part of its territory.
