Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci Gets 25 Years — What the Court Found
Hashim Thaci, Kosovo’s former president and one of the most prominent leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the 1990s conflict, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after judges in The Hague convicted him of war crimes including murder, torture and arbitrary detention.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers delivered its judgment following a trial that began in April 2023 against Thaci and three other former senior KLA figures: Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi.
Hashim Thaci Convicted of War Crimes
The court found the four defendants criminally responsible for the arbitrary detention of 385 people, the torture of 303, cruel treatment of 49 and the murder of 96 people during the 1998-99 Kosovo conflict.
Thaci and Krasniqi were each sentenced to 25 years in prison. Veseli received an 18-year sentence and Selimi was sentenced to 13 years, with credit for time already spent in detention.
The judges acquitted the defendants of crimes against humanity, finding that prosecutors had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged crimes formed part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.
Court Details Killings, Detention and Torture
The judgment said the crimes targeted people viewed as opponents of the KLA’s political or military objectives. They included Kosovo Albanians associated with rival political or military groups, people accused of links to Serbian authorities and members of ethnic minorities, including Serbs and Roma.
The court said the vast majority of victims had not been shown to have committed crimes, participated in hostilities or presented a legitimate security threat.
Judges found that Thaci, then a member of the KLA General Staff and head of its Political Directorate, played a significant role in formulating and implementing the policy of targeting perceived opponents.
The ruling also found that he personally participated in some arrests, detention and interrogation and linked him to the arrest, transfer and killing of Behajdin Allaqi.
From KLA Leadership to Kosovo’s Presidency
Thaci became a leading political figure in the KLA during the Kosovo conflict and later led the Kosovo Albanian delegation at the 1999 Rambouillet peace talks.
After the war, he founded the Democratic Party of Kosovo and later served as prime minister and president. He resigned as president in November 2020 after the indictment against him was confirmed and was transferred to detention in The Hague.
Earlier Profile News coverage documented Kosovo’s later diplomatic developments as the young state expanded its international relationships.
Court Says Trial Was Not About the KLA’s Legitimacy
The presiding judge stressed that the case did not determine the legitimacy of the Kosovo Liberation Army or its objective of an independent Kosovo. Nor did it address crimes committed by Serbian forces against Kosovo Albanians.
The case instead focused on whether specific crimes alleged in the indictment occurred and whether the four defendants bore individual criminal responsibility.
Thaci denied the charges throughout the proceedings. The judgment has prompted sharply different reactions in Kosovo and Serbia, and his legal team is expected to pursue an appeal.
The 25-year sentence closes the trial phase of one of the most closely watched cases arising from the Kosovo war, while further legal proceedings could continue through the appeals process.
Report Sources: Profile News, Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Associated Press, Reuters.
