From theguardian.com
Thaçi held criminally responsible for war crimes during the violent break from Serbia in the 1990s
Former Kosovo Liberation Army commander and later Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi has been sentenced to 25 years in prison as he is held criminally responsible for war crimes during the violent break from Serbia in the 1990s by the international court in The Hague.
Thaçi had denied all charges.
Here is the background to this story:
“As prosecutors presented their case against Thaci and fellow defendants Rexhep Selemi, Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi – all senior figures in the KLA’s leadership during the war against Serb forces from 1998 to 1999 – they described an alleged campaign of murder, torture and repression against opponents and members of ethnic minorities directed by the four men. …
The proceedings, deeply unpopular in Kosovo and neighbouring Albania, recall the period of brutal conflict between 1998 and 1999 where both Serbian and Kosovan armed organisations committed war crimes in the context of the KLA’s armed uprising and Belgrade’s military response.
His supporters gathered in Kosovo earlier today to listen to the verdict:
Closing summary
Jakub Krupa
And, on that note, we will be closing the blog for today.
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Former Kosovo Liberation Army commander and later Kosovo president Hashim Thaçi has been sentenced to 25 years in prison as he is held criminally responsible for war crimes during the violent break from Serbia in the 1990s by an international court in The Hague (11:33, 16:01).
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It found that Thaçi “was a key member” in the Kosovo Liberation Army and even “personally participated in crimes,” despite his denials (11:56).
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The decision of the tribunal was deeply unpopular in Kosovo, where people booed the verdict and chanted in support of their former leader (12:40), while some of his supporters even briefly clashed with police in The Hague (13:11, 14:45).