Former Kosovo president Thaci sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes

Supporters of Kosovo's former President Hashim Thaci and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) react as they listen to the verdict on the day of a judgment in the war crimes trial against Thaci, in Malieveld, The Hague, Netherlands, September 16, 2026. REUTERS/Omar Havana

THE HAGUE, ⁠Sept 16 (Reuters) - Former ⁠Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was ‌found guilty of war crimes by the Kosovo war crimes ​tribunal on Wednesday.

Thaci, ⁠58, was ⁠convicted to 25 years in ⁠prison ‌for crimes including murder, torture ⁠and illegal detention committed 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.

Thaci ​had denied all ‌charges.

(Reporting by Stephanie ​van den Berg, editing by Bart Meijer)