Hashim Thaçi sentenced to 25 years for war crimes

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague has sentenced former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi to 25 years in prison for war crimes, including murder, torture, and arbitrary detention. Three other former KLA leaders received sentences between 13 and 25 years. While the court ruled they led a joint criminal enterprise targeting perceived opponents, the decision has sparked deep outrage in Kosovo, where many view the defendants as national heroes of their independence struggle.

Thaçi war crimes conviction

• ▪Hashim Thaçi resigned as president of Kosovo in November 2020 to surrender to the court in The Hague following his indictment
• ▪The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi of four counts of war crimes on September 16, 2026, sentencing him to 25 years in prison
• ▪Hashim Thaçi, Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi, and Kadri Veseli were acquitted at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers of six charges of crimes against humanity because prosecutors failed to prove a widespread and systematic attack on civilians
• ▪Hashim Thaçi stood in silence as Presiding Judge Charles Smith read out the 25-year prison sentence on September 16, 2026
• ▪The Kosovo Specialist Chambers sentenced former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years, Kadri Veseli to 18 years, and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years in prison

KLA joint criminal enterprise

• ▪Presiding Judge Charles Smith stated that Hashim Thaçi used his position, leadership, authority, and standing to encourage the war crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army
• ▪The victims of the Kosovo Liberation Army joint criminal enterprise included Kosovo Albanians, Serbs, and Roma, the vast majority of whom were innocent civilians
• ▪Defense lawyers argued that the Kosovo Liberation Army, which fought Serb forces during the 1998-99 war, lacked a strict command structure, meaning senior figures could not control or be held responsible for individual fighters
• ▪The Kosovo Specialist Chambers ruled that Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi participated in a joint criminal enterprise targeting perceived opponents of the Kosovo Liberation Army

Witness intimidation during trial

• ▪Presiding Judge Charles Smith stated that the war crimes trial of Hashim Thaçi at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers unfolded amid persistent witness intimidation, with some witnesses changing or retracting testimony out of fear or loyalty
• ▪The Kosovo Specialist Chambers convicted two leaders of a Kosovo war veterans' association in 2022 for intimidating witnesses by publicizing leaked confidential documents
• ▪Hashim Thaçi faces a separate trial on charges of witness intimidation and offences against the administration of justice, with closing statements in that case concluding in September 2026

Kosovo public reaction divisions

• ▪Thousands of supporters gathered in Pristina's main square to watch the livestream of Hashim Thaçi's war crimes verdict at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, with many expressing shock and anger at the 25-year sentence
• ▪The United States embassy in Pristina advised its personnel to avoid unnecessary travel near demonstrations organized in support of Hashim Thaçi and the other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders on trial

Debatable claims

• ▪The Kosovo Specialist Chambers is politically biased against Kosovo
• ▪The war crimes conviction of Hashim Thaçi is unjust