Kosovo tribunal convicts Hashim Thaci of war crimes and sentences him to 25 years

The Kosovo war crimes tribunal has convicted former President Hashim Thaci of four counts of war crimes and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. The ruling was delivered in court on Wednesday and concerns crimes linked to the Kosovo war for independence from Serbia in the 1990s. Thaci, 58, stood in silence as Presiding Judge Charles Smith read out the sentence.

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The tribunal said the crimes included murder, torture and illegal detention committed while Thaci was the top commander of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army. It said KLA forces were responsible for the murder of 96 political opponents and people perceived as collaborators with Serbian security forces during the conflict. The conviction marks a major development in a case that had been due to reach judgment on the same day.

The ruling is significant because it concerns a former head of state and senior figures from the armed movement that helped shape modern Kosovo. Thaci was tried alongside Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and Kadri Veseli, who had all denied the charges. The case has also drawn close public attention in Kosovo, where Thaci remains a prominent figure for many ethnic Albanian Kosovars because of his role in the 1998-99 war.

The decision comes against the backdrop of Kosovo's unresolved relationship with Serbia. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Belgrade does not recognise it, and tensions between the two sides have continued despite years of European Union-mediated talks. The tribunal's verdict is therefore likely to be read not only as a legal judgment, but also as part of Kosovo's wider effort to confront allegations linked to the war.

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The conflict left deep scars, with the supplied material saying about 13,000 people died and about one million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes. A 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian forces ended the fighting, but the legacy of the war has remained central to politics and public memory in Kosovo. That history helps explain why proceedings involving former KLA leaders have been so sensitive and closely watched.

What remains unclear from the supplied material is how the other defendants will be affected and whether there will be any immediate legal response to the conviction. The case is likely to continue to shape debate over wartime responsibility, the legacy of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the country's post-war political identity. Further developments will also be watched for any impact on relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

The Kosovo war crimes tribunal is due on Wednesday to deliver verdicts in the case of former President Hashim Thaci and three former wartime commanders accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The case centres on allegations of murder, torture and persecution during the conflict that accompanied Kosovo's break from Serbia. Thaci, 58, is on trial alongside Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and Kadri Veseli, all of whom deny the charges.

Prosecutors have asked the court to impose 45-year prison sentences on each of the four men. They say the defendants targeted political opponents and civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors while serving in the Kosovo Liberation Army, a separatist militia that fought Serbian troops. Thaci's lawyers argued in February that there is no evidence directly linking him to the alleged crimes.

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One defence lawyer said there were no orders in the record from Thaci to perpetrators and no reports from perpetrators back to him. The case has drawn strong public attention in Kosovo, where Thaci remains a revered figure for many ethnic Albanian Kosovars because of his role in the 1998-99 war. On Saturday, tens of thousands gathered in the capital, Pristina, to call for the defendants' acquittal, in the latest of several rallies since the trial began.

Portraits of the four former KLA fighters have been displayed across the city, along with a digital countdown clock marking the approach of the verdict. The public response underlines how closely the proceedings are tied to Kosovo's wartime memory and political identity. The ruling also carries wider significance because it concerns a former head of state and senior figures from the armed movement that helped shape modern Kosovo.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade refuses to recognise it, and relations between the two remain tense despite years of European Union-mediated talks. The tribunal's decision is therefore likely to be watched not only as a legal judgment, but also as a test of how Kosovo continues to confront allegations linked to the war. It may also affect domestic debate over the legacy of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the conduct of its leaders.

The conflict itself left deep scars. According to the supplied material, about 13,000 people died in the war in Kosovo, most of them ethnic Albanians, and about one million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes. A 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian forces ended the fighting.

Those figures remain central to the political and emotional weight surrounding the tribunal, which has become one of the most sensitive legal processes in Kosovo's post-war history. The defendants' supporters have framed the case as an attack on figures they see as part of the country's liberation struggle. What remains unclear until the verdict is announced is whether the judges will accept the prosecution's account of command responsibility or the defence argument that no direct link has been shown.

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