{
  "id": 7804328,
  "title": "Kosovo’s former president Hashim Thaci sentenced to 25 years for war crimes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/kosovos-former-president-hashim-thaci-sentenced-to-25-years-for-war",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-16T14:17:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GBC Ghana",
    "slug": "gbc-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.gbcghanaonline.com/world/kosovos-former-president-hashim-thaci-sentenced-to-25-years-for-war-crimes/2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kosovo's ex-president Hashim Thaci has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Kosovo war crimes tribunal in The Hague for war crimes and crimes committed during the 1990s conflict against Serbia. The verdict followed a three-year trial examining Thaci's role as a top commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The court found him guilty of participating in a joint criminal enterprise targeting political opponents and perceived collaborators with Serbian security forces. Thaci was convicted of murdering 96 individuals, arbitrarily detaining 385 people, torturing 303 people, and inflicting cruel treatment on 49 others. The court dismissed six additional charges of crimes against humanity due to insufficient evidence. Thaci's defense lawyers maintained the allegations were baseless and aimed at rewriting history. The ruling has sparked widespread emotional reactions across Kosovo, Serbia, and the Balkans, with supporters gathering in Pristina to protest the verdict, while riot police and foreign peacekeeping forces maintained order.",
  "summary": "By: Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci received a 25-year prison sentence on Wednesday from the Kosovo war crimes tribunal based in The Hague. The court found the 58-year-old former leader guilty of war crimes and crimes committed during the 1990s independence conflict against Serbia. The verdict followed a three-year […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/7804328.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "NPR",
        "title": "Kosovo's ex-President Thaci convicted of war crimes, sentenced to 25 years in prison",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/kosovos-ex-president-thaci-convicted-of-war-crimes-sentenced-to-25",
        "published": "2026-09-16T09:57:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Tempo.co English",
        "title": "Kosovo Ex-President Thaci Convicted of War Crimes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/kosovo-ex-president-thaci-convicted-of-war-crimes",
        "published": "2026-09-16T10:31:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "Former Kosovo president Thaci sentenced to 25 years' prison for war crimes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/former-kosovo-president-thaci-sentenced-to-25-years-prison-for-war",
        "published": "2026-09-16T11:36:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBC News",
        "title": "Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi sentenced to 25 years for 1990s war crimes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/former-kosovo-president-hashim-thaci-sentenced-to-25-years-for-1990s",
        "published": "2026-09-16T11:55:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Former Kosovo president sentenced to 25 years for war crimes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/former-kosovo-president-sentenced-to-25-years-for-war-crimes",
        "published": "2026-09-16T12:55:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "DW English (Top Stories)",
        "title": "Shock and anger in Kosovo as former president convicted",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/shock-and-anger-in-kosovo-as-former-president-convicted",
        "published": "2026-09-16T15:59:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}