Kosovo War Crimes Court Convicts Former President Thaçi

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi and three senior former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders were convicted of war crimes on September 16, 2026. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague sentenced them for crimes including murder, torture, cruel treatment, and arbitrary detention committed during the Kosovo war.

Human Rights Watch stated the verdicts are an important step toward accountability for victims of the 1998-1999 conflict. The court found Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi guilty. It acquitted all four men on separate charges of crimes against humanity.

Sentences and Specific Crimes

The court imposed the following prison sentences:

The judgment detailed the scale of the abuses for which the defendants were found criminally responsible between April 1998 and June 20, 1999. The panel of judges documented the arbitrary arrest and detention of 385 people at KLA detention sites. They confirmed the torture of 303 individuals and the cruel treatment of 49 others. The court found the four men responsible for the murder of 96 people.

Victims included Kosovo Albanians perceived as political opponents or collaborators, as well as Serbs and Roma. The judges found the accused shared a common criminal purpose to target, detain, and kill perceived opponents of the KLA, which sought independence from Serbia.

Court's Findings and Acquittals

The court acquitted the defendants on all six crimes against humanity charges. It ruled the prosecution had not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the specific acts were "directed against a civilian population," a required element for such charges. The judges also found the four men not guilty regarding a number of other alleged war crimes incidents. They said these were either not proven, absorbed by another charge, or outside the court's jurisdiction because they allegedly occurred after June 20, 1999, when the armed conflict had ended.

The judges stressed the trial was about individual criminal responsibility, not the legitimacy of the KLA's struggle or the crimes committed by Serbian forces. Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the verdict sends a message. "This verdict sends an important message to victims and their families that even powerful leaders are not beyond the reach of justice," he stated.

Context of Intimidation and Broader Accountability

The judges noted the trial occurred in a climate of witness intimidation. Some witnesses lied or changed previous accounts, with fear for their safety potentially affecting testimony. Separately, Thaçi faces a second case before the same court for alleged obstruction of justice.

Human Rights Watch framed the judgment against a backdrop of incomplete accountability for Kosovo war crimes. The group noted Serbian and Yugoslav forces were responsible for systematic crimes including torture, killings, rape, and forced expulsions. While the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia tried senior Serbian officials, domestic prosecutions in Serbia have largely focused on lower-level perpetrators.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers was created after Kosovo amended its constitution in 2015, following allegations in a 2010 Council of Europe report. The court is based in The Hague and funded by the EU, the United States, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, and Türkiye. Williamson said the judgment provides a measure of long-delayed justice for victims and is a sign that all victims of serious crimes from the war deserve justice.