Hashim Thaci, former president of Kosovo and top commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the 1990s conflict, was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a war crimes tribunal in The Hague for murder, torture, and illegal detention. He was convicted of murdering 96 people, illegally detaining 385 individuals, torturing 303 others, and cruelly treating 49 victims who were not active combatants during the conflict. Thaci denied all charges but can appeal the verdict. The ruling has sparked tensions in Kosovo and Serbia, with demonstrations both supporting and protesting against the decision in Pristina and The Hague.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 16, The Hague war crimes tribunal sentenced former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi to 25 years for his role in murder, torture, and illegal detention during the 1998-1999 Kosovo conflict. The court found him guilty of orchestrating 96 murders, illegally detaining 385 individuals, torturing 303 people, and cruelly treating 49 others as the top commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Thaçi's conviction has sparked protests in Kosovo, with thousands gathering in Pristina to support him and wave KLA flags. The ruling is particularly contentious given Thaci’s revered status among many ethnic Kosovo Albanians and his role in Kosovo’s independence from Serbia in 2008.
Written for “Kosovo War Crimes Sentence” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 13763 · logged 2026-09-16
THE HAGUE/PRISTINA — Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was found guilty of war crimes including murder, torture and illegal detention by the Kosovo war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Wednesday.
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Thaci → find → Wednesday
Thaci, 58, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes committed as top commander of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the territory’s violent break from Serbia in the 1990s.
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Thaci → sentence → 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.
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he → say → conflict
He was also convicted for the arbitrary illegal detention of 385 people, torture of 303 people and cruel treatment of 49 people.
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He → convict → people
None of the victims were active participants in hostilities at the time the crimes were committed, the court added.
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court → commit → time
The court said Thaci had actively participated in and encouraged crimes as part of a joint criminal enterprise with a common plan.
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Thaci → say → plan
In particular, it entailed: setting up detention facilities in all areas controlled by the KLA; identifying individuals perceived as opposing the KLA; and arresting and detaining them and, if necessary, killing them,” presiding judge Charles Smith said.
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Smith → entail → them
Victims were held in inhumane conditions, beaten, kept in tiny cells and not given enough food or medical care, he added.
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he → hold → food
Thaci, who stood in silence as the judge read out the conviction and the sentence, had denied all charges.
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judge → stand → charges
He can appeal the verdict.
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He → appeal → verdict
SUPPORTERS GATHER IN PRISTINA AND THE HAGUE
The ruling was closely watched in Kosovo and Serbia, where the legacy of the 1998-99 conflict and Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence remain a source of tension between ethnic Kosovo Albanians and Serbs.
Thaci remains a revered figure for many Kosovo Albanians, while the tribunal itself is deeply unpopular in Kosovo.
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tribunal → gather → Kosovo
In The Hague, brief scuffles broke out between several hundred Thaci supporters and police when demonstrators tried to walk to the tribunal from a location where they had been listening to an audio live stream of the judgment.
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they → break → judgment
In Pristina, Kosovo’s capital, a crowd of hundreds marched across town following the verdict and dozens of riot police were stationed across the city.
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dozens → march → city
From today, there will be no peace in Kosovo,” said Raif Pllana, a former KLA fighter who came out in support of Thaci in central Pristina.
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who → say → Pristina
Police said preparations had been made with foreign peacekeeping forces in case protests turned violent.
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protests → say → forces
The United States advised citizens to avoid crowds.
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Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama criticized the verdict with a picture posted on social media of a circle of barbed wire across a map of Europe and one word: “Unbelievable.”
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Minister → criticize → Europe
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Report → start → news
PROSECUTORS DEMANDED 45-YEAR SENTENCE
Prosecutors had sought a 45-year sentence against Thaci and three other former top commanders of the KLA.
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Prosecutors → demand → KLA
But the three-judge panel dismissed six charges of crimes against humanity.
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panel → dismiss → humanity
They said prosecutors had failed to show these happened as part of widespread or systematic attacks against the civilian population as a whole.
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these → say → whole
Lawyers for Thaci had argued that the accusations were unfounded and amounted to an attempt to rewrite history.
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accusations → argue → history
The Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers was established in 2015 under international pressure to try former KLA fighters for alleged wartime and post-war crimes.
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Chambers → base → crimes
Judges on Wednesday said the trial was held against the backdrop of severe witness intimidation and recalled witnesses who recanted past statements, lied to the court or changed their previous accounts.
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who → say → accounts
The Aporia
