Hashim Thaci convicted of crimes by the tribunal in The Hague

Hashim Thaci was sentenced for crimes committed as commander-in-chief of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army during the territory's violent separation from Serbia in the 1990s, Reuters reported.

The tribunal found him guilty of the murder of 96 political opponents and alleged collaborators of the Serbian security forces by the forces of the Kosovo Liberation Army. He was also convicted of arbitrary and illegal detention of 385 people, torture of 303 people and cruel treatment of approximately 50 people.

Thaci denied the allegations

The court found that Thaci "actively participated in and encouraged the commission of crimes."

Thaci, who stood silently as the judge read the guilty verdict and sentence, denied all charges.

"Thaci, Thaci"

The verdict was closely followed in both Kosovo and Serbia, where the legacy of the 1998-99 conflict and Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008 remain a source of tension between ethnic Kosovo Albanians and Serbs.

Thaci remains a revered figure for many Kosovo Albanians, while the tribunal itself is highly unpopular in Kosovo.