OMM Redaksiyası
A court in The Hague has sentenced former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci to 25 years in prison for war crimes committed during the 1998-1999 Kosovo conflict.
The 58-year-old Thaci was found guilty on Sept. 16 of several crimes, including murder, torture and unlawful imprisonment. According to the court’s ruling, Kosovo Liberation Army forces were responsible for the killing of 96 political opponents and people suspected of collaborating with Serbian security forces during the conflict.
Thaci was also found guilty of the unlawful and arbitrary detention of 385 people, the torture of 303 people and the cruel treatment of 49 others. The court said that none of the victims was actively involved in combat operations when the crimes were committed.
The ruling said Thaci had actively participated in a joint criminal enterprise established as part of a common plan and had encouraged the crimes. He has consistently denied the allegations. In his closing statement, Thaci told the judges: “I am completely innocent.”
From student activist to Kosovo Liberation Army leader
Born in 1968 in Kosovo’s Drenica region, Thaci joined the Kosovo Albanian independence movement while studying at the University of Pristina. He later moved to Switzerland, where he continued his political activities.
In the 1990s, Thaci joined the Kosovo Liberation Army, which fought Serbian and Yugoslav forces. He became one of the organization’s leading political figures and represented Kosovo Albanians at the Rambouillet peace talks in France in 1999.
After the talks failed, NATO launched a 78-day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia. Serbian and Yugoslav forces subsequently withdrew from Kosovo. Thousands of people were killed in the war, while more than one million were displaced.
From wartime politics to the presidency
After the conflict, Thaci helped establish the Democratic Party of Kosovo, which was formed on the basis of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s political wing. His political career advanced rapidly. Thaci became prime minister in 2008, the year Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.
Thaci later served as foreign minister before being elected president in 2016. As president, he played an active role in efforts to improve relations with Serbia, including the European Union-backed dialogue process.
For many Kosovars, Thaci remains closely associated with the country’s independence. His supporters have displayed photographs of former Kosovo Liberation Army figures with the words “Heroes of war and peace.”
Why was Thaci prosecuted?
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers were established in 2015 under Kosovo law to investigate alleged crimes linked to the Kosovo Liberation Army. Although based in The Hague, the institution is separate from the International Criminal Court.
Thaci was indicted in 2020. He resigned as president before being transferred to the detention center in The Hague. Prosecutors accused Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders of crimes committed against Kosovo Albanians, Serbs and Roma, as well as people regarded as rivals of the organization.
The defense rejected the allegations and challenged claims that Thaci had effective control over individuals accused of violence.
A significant ruling for Kosovo
The trial began in 2023, and 134 witnesses testified during hearings that concluded at the end of last year. The 25-year sentence is considered one of the most significant rulings involving a senior representative of Kosovo’s independence movement. Prosecutors had sought a 45-year prison sentence for Thaci.
The case does not mean that the Kosovo Liberation Army has been convicted as an organization. Prosecutors have stressed that the proceedings concern the individual criminal responsibility of the defendants.
Thaci is also facing a separate trial over allegations that he obstructed the judicial process and attempted to influence witnesses. He denies those allegations as well.
