Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi Sentenced to 25 Years for War Crimes

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after a Hague tribunal found him guilty of four war crimes committed during Kosovo’s 1998–1999 conflict with Serbia.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague delivered the verdict on Wednesday, finding Thaçi guilty of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention. The court found that the crimes were committed while he was a senior commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

Thaçi, 58, had denied the charges throughout the proceedings. The case centred on allegations that KLA members committed crimes against civilians and people who were not taking part in the conflict, including individuals regarded as opponents or collaborators.

According to the judgment, the court held Thaçi responsible for crimes involving the killing of 96 people, the illegal detention of 385 people, torture of 303 people and cruel treatment of 49 others. The victims were not active combatants, according to the tribunal’s findings.

The court, however, did not convict Thaçi on all the charges brought against him. He and the other defendants were acquitted of six crimes against humanity charges after the judges concluded that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence to establish those offences to the required standard.

Thaçi was tried alongside three other senior former KLA figures: Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. The tribunal also handed down prison sentences to the three men, with Veseli receiving 18 years and Selimi and Krasniqi receiving 13 and 25 years respectively.

The judgment followed a lengthy trial that began in April 2023. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers said 134 witnesses testified during the proceedings, including 125 called by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, two by victims’ counsel and seven by the defence. The evidentiary proceedings closed in December 2025, followed by closing statements in February 2026.

Thaçi resigned as Kosovo’s president in November 2020 after the indictment against him was confirmed and was transferred to the tribunal’s detention facilities in The Hague. He had previously served as Kosovo’s prime minister and was one of the leading figures in Kosovo’s political transition following the war.

His political career was closely connected to Kosovo’s struggle for independence from Serbia. The conflict ended in 1999 following a NATO bombing campaign and international intervention, while Kosovo later declared independence in 2008.

The verdict has prompted strong reactions in Kosovo, where Thaçi remains a prominent and divisive figure. Supporters have protested against the judgment in Pristina and The Hague, while international reactions have focused on the tribunal’s role in prosecuting alleged crimes committed during the conflict.

The prosecution had sought a longer prison term of 45 years for Thaçi, while the court imposed 25 years after considering the evidence and the offences for which it found him guilty.