The Kosovo Specialist Chambers on Wednesday convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi to 25 years in jail on four counts of war crimes committed during his country’s war for independence from Serbia. Thaçi, who was tried along with three other former guerrilla leaders, was convicted by a panel of judges in The Hague of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention. Wearing a suit and tie, Thaçi stood in silence as Presiding Judge Charles Smith read out the sentence.
Judge Smith said Thaçi “used his position, leadership, authority and standing” to encourage the crimes, including the targeting of political opponents and civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors during their time in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). However, the presiding judge also stressed that the trial was “not about the legitimacy" of the KLA or its ultimate goal of securing independence for Kosovo, which at the time was a province in Serbia. The long-awaited verdict came after a three-year trial of four former KLA figures: Thaçi, Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and Kadri Veseli.
Prosecutors had requested 45-year prison sentences for each. All four had pleaded not guilty. Krasniqi was sentenced to 25 years, Selimi to 13 years, and Veseli to 18 years in prison.
All four were determined to be criminally responsible for the arbitrary detention and torture of hundreds of people and 96 murders, according to the court. The court also said Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi had "contributed significantly" to a common criminal purpose targeting perceived opponents of the KLA's political and military goals. The four were acquitted on six charges of crimes against humanity because the judges said the prosecutors failed to prove that crimes were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians.
They can appeal Wednesday's ruling. I was always guided by the Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice,” Thaçi told judges in February at the end of his trial. He told a Kosovo outlet in late August he expected a full acquittal.
The 58-year-old — who also served more than seven years as prime minister, followed by a two-year stint as foreign minister — saw his popularity soar when he helped oversee Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008. During a visit to the White House, then US Vice President Joe Biden hailed him as the "George Washington of Kosovo". But his image was tarnished by a 2010 Council of Europe report alleging links to organised crime and serious abuses committed during and immediately after the war.
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