The Kosovo Specialist Chamber ruled on Wednesday that Thaçi and his fellow Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) officers were responsible for the torture of 303 people and the murder of 96 others. Judges determined that the KLA targeted Albanians, Serbs, and Roma, branding them as collaborators based on unverified rumors. The court noted that many victims were innocent civilians, including elderly individuals and minors, who were often forced to witness the execution of their own family members.
Hashim Thaçi sentenced to 20 years for Kosovo war crimes
A Hague-based tribunal has sentenced former Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi to 20 years in prison, dismantling his long-standing image as a Western-backed hero of the 1998-1999 conflict. The EU-funded court found him and three other commanders guilty of orchestrating a campaign of torture and murder against hundreds of civilians.
Thaçi, formerly a regular guest in Brussels, stood silent in court as the judgment detailed his personal involvement in the detention and killing of political rivals and intellectuals. The ruling specifically cited his direct role in the arrest and murder of Behajdin Allaqi, an Albanian intellectual, and the detention of 13 parliamentarians. This verdict marks a definitive shift in the historical narrative surrounding the KLA, stripping away the perception of the group as purely heroic defenders against Serb aggression and highlighting their systematic abuse of those they deemed enemies of their cause.
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