Kosovo's former president Hashim Thaci sentenced to 25 years for war crimes

On September 16, 2026, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague sentenced former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci to 25 years in prison for war crimes committed during the 1998-99 independence war. Thaci and three co-defendants were convicted of the murder of 96 people, torture, and arbitrary detention, though they were acquitted of crimes against humanity. The verdict sparked outrage in Kosovo, where the leaders are viewed as heroes, leading to protests in Pristina and condemnation from government officials.

Thaci 25-year prison sentence

• ▪Both Hashim Thaci and the prosecution, which had requested a maximum 45-year sentence, have the right to appeal the 25-year prison sentence.
• ▪On September 16, 2026, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague sentenced former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci to 25 years in prison for war crimes.
• ▪Hashim Thaci resigned as president of Kosovo in 2020, nearly six years prior to his sentencing, to face war crimes charges in The Hague.

KLA wartime murders torture

• ▪Presiding Judge Charles Smith stated that Hashim Thaci actively participated in and encouraged crimes, using his leadership position to eliminate political impediments to his command.
• ▪Presiding Judge Charles Smith noted that victims of the Kosovo Liberation Army were detained and killed based on unverified rumors of being spies or collaborators.
• ▪The Kosovo Specialist Chambers convicted Hashim Thaci of the war crimes of arbitrary detention of 385 people, cruel treatment of 49 people, torture of 303 people, and murder of 96 people.

Kosovo Specialist Chambers verdict

• ▪The three-judge panel of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers acquitted Hashim Thaci and his three co-defendants of six charges of crimes against humanity.
• ▪The Kosovo Specialist Chambers sentenced co-defendants Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years, Kadri Veseli to 18 years, and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years in prison.
• ▪Presiding Judge Charles Smith emphasized that the trial of Hashim Thaci was about personal criminal responsibility and not about the legitimacy of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Supporter protests in Pristina

• ▪On September 16, 2026, masked protesters in Pristina threw stones at the compound of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo to protest Hashim Thaci's sentencing.
• ▪Kosovo Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca condemned the verdict against Hashim Thaci, calling it a terrible, unjust, and undeserved decision for Kosovo's liberation war.
• ▪Thousands of people gathered in Pristina on September 16, 2026, to watch the live broadcast of Hashim Thaci's sentencing, reacting with shock and chanting 'UCK'.

Kosovo independence war 1998-99

• ▪Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move that Belgrade refuses to recognize, leaving relations between the two nations highly tense.
• ▪The 1998-99 Kosovo war ended after a 78-day NATO airstrike campaign against Serbian forces, which drove about 1 million ethnic Albanians from their homes.
• ▪The 1998-99 war for Kosovo's independence from Serbia resulted in approximately 13,000 deaths, with the majority of the victims being ethnic Albanians.