Hague court sentences Kosovo ex-president Thaçi to 25 years in prison for war crimes
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Wednesday found former President Hashim Thaçi criminally responsible for war crimes carried out during the 1998-1999 war with Serbia and sentenced him to 25 years in prison.
The court said Thaçi was responsible for the crimes of arbitrary detention against 385 individuals, cruel treatment against 49 individuals, torture against 303 individuals and murder against 96 individuals as part of a joint criminal enterprise.
The verdicts, which are expected to be appealed by the defendants, have sparked outrage from Kosovo and Albanian leaders, and sparked scuffles outside The Hague between assembled supporters and Dutch police.
Thaçi, a former political leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, was tried alongside Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and Kadri Veseli. The four men were charged with six counts of crimes against humanity and four war crimes charges.
The charges of crimes against humanity were dropped, while Krasniqi was sentenced to 25 years, Selimi to 13 years and Veseli to 18 years for the other offenses.
According to the judgment, the court found that the prosecution had failed to prove the existence of widespread and systematic attacks against civilians, a key element for crimes against humanity.
Following the ruling, Thaçi’s brother Gani told the media that the family is convinced of his innocence and “we are waiting for the appeal.”
In a social media post, Krasniqi’s daughter Gresa called the ruling an “unjust, political, racist, and criminal” decision and claimed that many individuals responsible for war crimes against Kosovo Albanians remain free in Serbia today.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called the ruling a “shame.”
Thaçi was indicted in November 2020 and resigned as president in the same month to face the proceedings. He has remained in detention in The Hague since then. “I expect to be acquitted of every charge,” Thaci said in a recent interview in August. The other defendants have all denied the charges against them.
Thaçi also faces a separate trial later this month over alleged witness intimidation.
The 1998-1999 Kosovo war took place between the KLA and Serbian forces, who carried out a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing, displacing over 1 million Kosovo Albanians, killing about 11,000, and injuring many thousands more.
The war came to an end in June 1999 after a 78-day NATO bombing campaign carried out against Yugoslav forces caused their withdrawal from Kosovo.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade has continued to refuse to recognize it. It is recognized as independent by more than 100 United Nations members. Relations remain tense despite years of European Union-mediated negotiations. “Our war was just, a war of liberation,” Prime Minister Albin Kurti said ahead of the verdict.
Former Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in an interview last week that she was worried about what a guilty verdict would mean for Kosovo’s security amid ongoing tensions with Serbia.
Thousands rallied in Pristina over the weekend and on Wednesday before the verdict in support of the four men, filling a central square with red-and-black Albanian flags.
Today’s announcement is a first-instance decision, and the parties have the right to appeal.
Alice Taylor contributed to this report.
