A verdict has been read for Hashim Thaçi, former president of Kosovo and one of the former political leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
Modern.az reports, citing foreign media, that he has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
The court found him guilty of four war crimes, including murder, torture, cruel treatment, and unlawful or arbitrary detention, committed during the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo. According to the court's decision, unlawful or arbitrary detention was committed against at least 385 people, torture against at least 303 people, and unlawful killings against at least 96 people.
The charges relate to events that occurred when Thaçi was in the leadership of the KLA during Kosovo's war against Serbian forces. The trial in the case began in The Hague in 2023, examining hundreds of witnesses and numerous pieces of evidence. The prosecution had demanded 45 years in prison for Thaçi. However, the court concluded that there was insufficient evidence for some charges and acquitted him of a number of charges related to crimes against humanity.
Hashim Thaçi has denied the charges. He has the right to appeal.
Thaçi resigned as president of Kosovo in 2020 and appeared before the court in The Hague. He was one of the leading figures of the KLA in Kosovo's war of independence and later served as the country's president.
