Stones Thrown at EU Mission in Kosovo After Thaci War Crimes Conviction
Protesters threw stones at the EU rule-of-law mission in Pristina after former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to 25 years.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) headquarters on the outskirts of Pristina on Wednesday, venting anger over the conviction of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci by a EU-backed court.
Masked protesters threw stones at the wall surrounding the EULEX compound, shattering several windows. Police did not move to disperse the crowd, which had earlier assembled at the main entrance where officers had set up a cordon.
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) flags were visible in the crowd as protesters chanted "Free the Liberators" and "KLA" in Albanian, signalling support for the former guerrilla leaders and rejection of the verdict, which is widely regarded in Kosovo as unjust.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague convicted Thaci, 58, of four counts of war crimes — murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention — committed during Kosovo's 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Thaci stepped down from the presidency nearly six years ago to face the charges. Both he and prosecutors, who had sought a harsher sentence, have the right to appeal.
The ruling struck at a figure once courted by the West, who was invited to the 1999 peace talks in France and was seen as a leader capable of steering Kosovo toward independence.