Kosovo ex-president Thaci jailed for 25 years by Hague court

Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by a court in The Hague for war crimes committed during the 1998–99 war with Serbia, prompting clashes between his supporters and riot police in the city.

The court is an EU-backed tribunal operating under Kosovan law, and found Thaci (58) guilty of the murder of 96 people, the arbitrary detention of at least 385, and for torturing at least 303 and cruel treatment of at least 49.

The victims were largely political opponents and civilians regarded as collaborators by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), the ethnic Albanian guerrilla movement he led.

Three other former KLA commanders were also convicted today – Jakup Krasniqi was sentenced to 25 years, Kadri Veseli to 18 and Rexhep Selimi to 13.

All four were cleared of six counts of crimes against humanity, with judges saying prosecutors had not shown the crimes were part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians.

Prosecutors had asked for 45-year sentences. All four men denied the charges and both sides can appeal.

Clashes on the Malieveld
Dozens of Thaci supporters had gathered on the Malieveld ahead of the verdict, and the protest turned violent shortly after it was read out.

Demonstrators threw stones, branches and flagpoles at police vans and officers, and several climbed onto a police vehicle, news agency ANP reported. Riot police used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse the crowd.

Thaci served as Kosovo’s prime minister and then president between 2008 and 2020, and helped set up the court while foreign minister in 2015.

He resigned in November 2020 to face the charges and has been in custody since. Tens of thousands of people rallied in Pristina in the days before the verdict, where the four men are widely seen as national heroes. Thaci faces a separate trial on witness intimidation charges later this month.