Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday after the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague convicted him of war crimes committed during the 1998-99 conflict with Serbia.
The court found the 58-year-old former Kosovo Liberation Army leader guilty in connection with murder, torture, cruel treatment and illegal detention, including the killings of 96 political opponents and people perceived as collaborators with Serbian security forces.
Thaci denied the charges and has the right to appeal.
Three other former senior KLA commanders were also sentenced after the years-long proceedings.
Jakup Krasniqi received 25 years in prison, Kadri Veseli was sentenced to 18 years and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years, with time already spent in custody included where applicable.
The court said Thaci had actively participated in and encouraged crimes and used his leadership position to further abuses.
Judges also acquitted the four men on six crimes-against-humanity charges, finding prosecutors had not proved the offenses formed part of a widespread or systematic attack on civilians.
Thaci also faces separate witness-intimidation charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
The ruling prompted an angry response in Kosovo, where many ethnic Albanians regard the KLA and Thaci as central figures in the independence war.
Thousands gathered in Pristina to watch the verdict on a large screen, with some chanting in support of the KLA after the sentence was announced.
Kosovo Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca called the judgment “terrible and harmful to Kosovo,” while Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama posted an illustration of The Hague bearing the Albanian word “Marre,” meaning shame or disgrace.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, by contrast, described the convictions as a belated confirmation of Serbia’s longstanding accusations against the KLA.
The case has remained deeply contentious in Kosovo, where critics argue accountability has fallen unevenly across the conflict.
Thaci resigned as president in November 2020 after his indictment and was transferred to detention in The Hague, ending a postwar political career that included service as prime minister, foreign minister and president.