Internet State

Former President Hashim Thaci of Kosovo was found guilty by a war crimes tribunal for crimes committed during the 1998-1999 war for independence from Serbia and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder, torture, and illegal detention. The tribunal ruled that Thaci was responsible for the murder of 96 political opponents, the illegal detention of 385 individuals, and the torture of more than 300 people. During the conflict, which left approximately 13,000 people dead, KLA forces were alleged to have killed over 100 opponents, while Kosovo remains a disputed territory not recognized by Serbia.

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was convicted by a European Union-backed court of four counts of war crimes, including murder and torture, and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Thaci, who resigned from office nearly six years ago to face the charges, was tried alongside three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, with prosecutors originally seeking a maximum sentence of 45 years for all defendants. The Kosovo war resulted in the deaths of about 13,000 people, predominantly ethnic Albanians, and saw approximately 1 million ethnic Albanian Kosovars displaced from their homes.

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was convicted of four counts of war crimes related to his role in the 1990s Kosovo war and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was found guilty of the murder of 96 political opponents and alleged collaborators with Serbian forces, as part of his leadership of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Thaci, 58, denies all charges and remained silent during the sentencing.

On September 16, 2026, the Kosovo war crimes tribunal will deliver verdicts for former President Hashim Thaci and three former commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army accused of war crimes, including murder and torture, during Kosovo's conflict with Serbia, with prosecutors seeking 45-year prison sentences for each. The case has caused significant public unrest in Kosovo, where Thaci is still celebrated by many, as demonstrated by rallies in Pristina attended by tens of thousands advocating for the acquittal of the defendants. The conflict resulted in approximately 13,000 deaths, predominantly among ethnic Albanians, and displaced around one million people, with Kosovo declaring independence from Serbia in 2008, a claim that Serbia does not recognize.

A Kosovo war crimes tribunal is set to deliver a ruling in the trial of former President Hashim Thaci and three former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1998-1999 independence war with Serbia, with prosecutors seeking 45-year prison sentences for each defendant. The KLA is accused of killing over 100 political opponents and collaborators, as well as committing politically motivated murders against civilians, despite the defense arguing that the lack of command structure in the KLA makes the leaders not directly responsible for such acts. The tribunal, unpopular in Kosovo, has indicted 15 individuals since its establishment, with only three currently serving sentences.