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Thaci gets 25 years at Hague war crimes court

September 16, 2026

Hashim Thaci, once Kosovo's president, will serve 25 years after judges in The Hague found him guilty of murder, torture and arbitrary detention.

Thaci led the ethnic Albanian guerrilla force that fought Serb forces in Kosovo from 1998 to 1999, later won the presidency, and stepped down nearly six years ago to answer charges at an EU-backed court in The Hague.

Key facts

CNN reports a court backed by the European Union found Hashim Thaci guilty on four war crimes counts tied to Kosovo's fight to break from Serbia, and set his term at 25 years. Politico reports the judges rejected the prosecution case that attacks on civilians had been widespread and systematic, the element crimes against humanity require. The National reports the bench described Thaci as an active participant who urged the crimes on, and that he rejected every charge put to him.

The courtroom detail lines up. CNN and CBC both report Thaci, 58, in suit and tie, silent while Presiding Judge Charles Smith delivered the ruling, and both note he gave up the presidency nearly six years ago so he could answer the indictment. Politico reports he has been held in The Hague ever since, with a second trial over witness intimidation due to open before the month is out. On reaction, Politico reports Prime Minister Albin Kurti calling the Kosovo Liberation Army a product of a genocidal regime's repression, and pledging state support for the four men through their appeal. CBC reports Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca calling the outcome a disaster for Kosovo and its liberation war. The National reports crowds in Pristina jeering the ruling in front of a large screen and chanting Thaci's name, while Politico reports supporters and Dutch police shoving outside the courthouse.

The split is over what he stands convicted of. One account limits it to four war crimes counts; another sets out a wider case of murder, torture and persecution, charged as crimes against humanity as well, and shared with three other former guerrilla commanders. The sentence the prosecution sought divides the accounts in the same direction: one has prosecutors pressing for a 45-year maximum covering Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, while another carries no such request. The conviction, the 25-year term and the intention to appeal hold across the coverage; the counts behind them do not.

Closing his nearly three-year trial before the judges in February, Thaci said: “Throughout my life, I stood with the people of Kosovo defending freedom, life and dignity. I was always guided by the Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice.”

Thaci

Still developing

The open charges are the counts against Thaci and his co-defendants, where the figures do not line up between the accounts.

How settled the reporting is

Reported 87% · Contested 5% · Developing 8%

Sources

Toggle read the full reports of 6 of the 8 outlets counted on this event. The other 2 are counted from their headlines and opening sentences.