Anger over Thaçi war crimes sentence spills into protests at Kosovo EU mission
Thousands who had gathered in Prishtina expecting an acquittal dispersed in silence after the Kosovo Specialist Chambers found the former president guilty of murder, torture and illegal detention, but some clashed with riot police outside the EU mission later in the day.
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes, according to a verdict handed down on Wednesday at The Hague. The 58-year-old was found guilty of committing crimes during Kosovo's independence war against Serbia in the 1990s, which resulted in over 10,000 casualties. Thaci was convicted of a range of crimes, including murder, illegal arrests, torture, and cruel treatment.
However, not all allegations against him were proven. Thaci, who co-founded and commanded the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), is seen as a hero in Kosovo. He is accused of killing nearly 100 people and committing other atrocities, such as enforced disappearances. Thaci was set to face trial alongside three other former KLA commanders, all facing similar charges.
The KLA, established in the early 1990s, was a militant group of ethnic Albanians that fought for independence in the then-Serbian province. Thaci became Kosovo's first prime minister when the country declared independence in 2008 and later became president, resigning in 2020 to face the war crimes charges. Thousands of people in Kosovo gathered to watch the verdict on large screens, with many seen in tears upon learning of the sentence.
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- Kosovo’s former president sentenced to 25 years for war crimes thechronicle.com.gh
