Hashim Thaçi, pictured in 2018, gives a statement to the media in Berlin.Michele Tantussi/Getty Images

Hague court sentences Kosovo ex-president Thaçi to 25 years in prison for war crimes – POLITICO

16 Sep 2026, 11:30 by Milena Wälde · POLITICO

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Wednesday found former President Hashim Thaçi criminally responsible for war crimes carried out during the 1998-1999 war with Serbia and sentenced him to 25 years in prison.

The court said Thaçi was responsible for the crimes of arbitrary detention against 385 individuals, cruel treatment against 49 individuals, torture against 303 individuals and murder against 96 individuals as part of a joint criminal enterprise.

The verdicts, which are expected to be appealed by the defendants, have sparked outrage from Kosovo and Albanian leaders, and sparked scuffles outside The Hague between assembled supporters and Dutch police.