Ex-Kosovo president gets 25 years for wartime torture, murder

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers sentenced former Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi to 25 years for war crimes committed while leading the Kosovo Liberation Army's political directorate during the 1998-99 conflict, alongside fellow former rebel leaders Jakup Krasniqi (25 years), Kadri Veseli (18 years) and Rexhep Selimi (13 years). The court found they ran detention facilities and used military police and intelligence services to torture and kill perceived opponents, covering at least 385 unlawful detentions and 96 murders.

All four were acquitted of crimes against humanity, with judges finding the violence was not proven to target a civilian population as such, since victims were largely singled out for individual reasons. The trial, running since April 2023, heard from 273 witnesses amid what judges described as persistent intimidation.

Prosecutor Kimberly West called the convictions long-delayed justice for victims, emphasizing the case targeted individuals rather than Kosovo's independence struggle. Defense counsel for Veseli called the outcome a bad day for the rule of law and vowed an appeal; both sides may still appeal, and reparations proceedings have not yet been scheduled.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.