Hashim Thaçi sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes by the Special Tribunal for Kosovo
Quick Look
- Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, 58, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes, including illegal arrests, torture, murder and cruel treatment, during the fight for independence against Serbian forces in the late 1990s.
- Three other former KLA officials were also sentenced.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Special Court for Kosovo was established to try alleged war crimes committed by members of the KLA during the 1998-1999 conflict between Kosovar Albanian forces and Yugoslav Serb forces.
History will record that Hashim Thaçi remained unmoved. On Wednesday, the former president of Kosovo, 58, did not move as he listened to judges at the Special Court for Kosovo sentence him to 25 years in prison for war crimes committed during the fight for independence against Serbian forces in the late 1990s. Presiding judge Charles Smith, in his verdict, stressed that the court had found the former leader of the KLA, the Kosovo Liberation Army, guilty of "arrests "illegal acts of torture, murder and cruel treatment", constituting war crimes. However, he was cleared of crimes against humanity. Three other former guerrilla leaders were tried alongside him. Kadri Veseli, the head of KLA intelligence, Jakup Krasniqi, the guerrilla spokesperson, and Rexhep Selimi, the head of its operations, were sentenced to 18 years, 25 years and 13 years in prison respectively.
In Pristina, on the central square, where a vast…
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Appeals will be made against the convictions by the defendants' defenses.
Very likely · Within months
The Kosovar government will come under domestic pressure to reform its security services inherited from the KLA.
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- How will this conviction affect Kosovar domestic politics?
- Will Serbia accept the legitimacy of the Special Tribunal for Kosovo?
- Will there be other trials against officials from the time of the conflict?
