Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci Gets 25 Years In Hague War Crimes Case

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Wednesday after being convicted of four war crimes committed during the 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia. The 58-year-old was found guilty of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention.

The court found Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders responsible for the murder of 96 people, the arbitrary detention of 385 people, torture of 303 detainees and cruel treatment of 49 people. The victims were not active combatants, according to the judgment. The court found that Thaci participated in and encouraged crimes as part of a joint criminal enterprise targeting people seen as opponents of the KLA.

Presiding Judge Charles Smith said Thaci used his position, leadership and authority to encourage crimes and failed to investigate or punish abuses committed by KLA fighters. The court also found that people were treated as collaborators simply because they had Serbian friends or worked for Serbian companies.

At the same time, the judges acquitted all four defendants of six crimes against humanity charges, ruling that prosecutors had not proved that the crimes formed part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians. The distinction is significant because the convictions relate specifically to the four proven war crimes.

Thaci was tried alongside former KLA commanders Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. Veseli was sentenced to 18 years, Selimi to 13 years and Krasniqi to 25 years. Their combined prison sentences total 81 years. All four had pleaded not guilty and denied the charges. Prosecutors had sought 45 year sentences for each defendant.

The verdict triggered anger among Thaci's supporters. Thousands gathered in Pristina to watch the proceedings, while hundreds waited outside the court in The Hague. Security forces had prepared for possible unrest after large rallies were held in Kosovo before the judgment. Some supporters briefly clashed with Dutch riot police.

Kosovo Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca condemned the judgment, while supporters described it as a blow to the country's liberation struggle. The court, however, stressed that the trial was not about the legitimacy of the KLA or its goal of securing independence for Kosovo.

Thaci resigned as president in 2020 after being charged and was transferred to The Hague to face trial. The proceedings began in April 2023 and involved 134 witnesses, with evidence proceedings closing in December 2025. The judgment was delivered after closing statements in February 2026.

Thaci has consistently denied the charges and is expected to appeal the verdict. The September 16 ruling is therefore a first instance judgment and does not necessarily mark the end of the legal proceedings.

The Kosovo war killed around 13,000 people, most of them ethnic Albanians. NATO carried out a 78 day bombing campaign against Serbian forces, while around one million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade has refused to recognise it. Relations between the two remain tense despite years of EU mediated efforts to normalise ties. The Hague court was established in 2015 under Kosovo law, with international judges and prosecutors, to prosecute alleged crimes linked to former KLA members.