A Hague court convicts Kosovo’s former President Thaci of war crimes and sentences him to 25 years

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Riot police stand guard outside the government building as supporters of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci protest after he was found guilty of war crimes by the Kosovo war crimes tribunal in The Hague, in Pristina, Kosovo on September 16, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters

A European Union-backed court on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci of four counts of war crimes committed during his country's war for independence from Serbia and sentenced him to 25 years in prison.

Thaci, who is 58, resigned from office nearly six years ago to face the charges. He was convicted by a panel of judges at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention. Both he and the prosecutors, who had asked for a stricter sentence, can appeal.

The judgment was a crushing blow for a man who was once embraced by the West, invited to the 1999 peace talks in France and seen as the leader who could guide Kosovo to independence.

Presiding Judge Charles Smith painted a very different picture, however, saying that Thaci actively participated in and encouraged crimes, including by promoting individuals involved in crimes.

Thaci “showed a ruthless ability to remove and eliminate political impediments” to his and other commanders' leadership, Mr. Smith added.

Wearing a suit and tie, Thaci stood in silence as Smith read out the sentence.

Kosovo Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca condemned the verdicts. “This is a terrible judgment for Kosovo, for our people and for our liberation war,” he said.

Hundreds of supporters waited at a park near the courthouse in The Hague, and some clashed briefly with Dutch riot police.

In Kosovo's capital, Pristina, thousands of people watched the hearing live on a huge screen and were stunned at the sentence. Some started shouting “UCK,” the Albanian-language acronym for the Kosovo Liberation Army that Thaci once led before entering politics.

One supporter, Bekim Fetahu, said the verdict was “a catastrophic decision.” “They [judges] have put the victims together with the aggressors,” Mr. Fetahu added.

Mr. Smith, the presiding judge, said Thaci “used his position, leadership, authority and standing” to encourage crimes and failed to investigate or punish abuse by KLA fighters.

However, the American judge also stressed that the trial was “not about the legitimacy of the Kosovo Liberation Army” or its ultimate goal of securing independence for Kosovo, which at the time was a province in Serbia.