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Kosovo’s former president jailed for 25 years over war crimes | World News

Kosovo’s former president Hashim Thaci has been jailed for 25 years after being found criminally responsible for war crimes following a trial in The Hague.

Thaci, 58, was convicted by a panel of judges of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention, as top commander of the ​ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation ​Army (KLA) during the territory’s violent ‌break ⁠from Serbia in the 1990s.

The tribunal said he was guilty of the ​murder ​of ⁠96 political opponents and perceived collaborators ​with Serbian security ​forces ⁠by Kosovo Liberation Army forces during the conflict.

He was on trial alongside three other former high-ranking commanders of the ethnic Albanian separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who fought Serb forces in the 1998-99 war, facing multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and persecution.

Supporters of Hashim Thaci gathered in Pristina for the verdict. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Supporters of Hashim Thaci gathered in Pristina for the verdict. Pic: Reuters

The four men are largely viewed as national heroes in their homeland.

Thousands rallied in Pristina in support of the four men. Crowds filled a central square in the capital, with many waving red and black Albanian flags. “In the name of the people, declare them innocent,” one banner read.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Prosecutors at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers court in The Hague had asked for a maximum 45-year prison sentence for Thaci and the other defendants – Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. They all denied the charges.

“Throughout my life, I stood with the people of Kosovo defending freedom, life and dignity. I was always guided by the Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice,” Thaci told judges in February at the end of his almost three-year trial.

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