Story perspectives

Thaci Sentenced to 25 Years for Kosovo War Crimes

By Drooid · Sep 18, 2026, 2:32 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Thaci Sentenced

Kosovo Specialist Chambers sentenced former President Hashim Thaci to 25 years in prison.
Co-defendants Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi received 18, 25 and 13 years respectively.
They were convicted of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention during the 1998-99 war.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the verdict a travesty on September 16, 2026.
Thousands protested in Pristina while Serbia’s Ivica Dacic welcomed the convictions.

Summary

Gazmend Syla Announces

Gazmend Syla, deputy leader of the KLA Veterans’ Organisation, announced a national coordinating council to unite diaspora protesters.
Students joined the newly-formed Not In My Name movement, chanting “We want justice, not politics” during the demonstrations.
Dutch police deployed water cannons outside the Hague courthouse after scuffles broke out between protesters and officers.
Protesters threw stones and firecrackers at the EU rule-of-law mission headquarters, EULEX, in Pristina.

History

Historical Context

Following the Bosnian war, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted former Republika Srpska president Radovan Karadžic in March 2016 of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, sentencing him to 40 years. That landmark verdict created a precedent that now guides recent Balkan war-crimes trials, reinforcing international accountability for atrocities such as the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

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Thaci Sentenced

Kosovo Specialist Chambers sentenced former President Hashim Thaci to 25 years in prison.
Co-defendants Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi received 18, 25 and 13 years respectively.
They were convicted of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention during the 1998-99 war.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the verdict a travesty on September 16, 2026.
Thousands protested in Pristina while Serbia’s Ivica Dacic welcomed the convictions.

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