Pristina Rally Condemns Thaci's 25-Year War Crimes Sentence

A European Union-backed court convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci of four counts of war crimes on Wednesday and sentenced him to 25 years in prison, a ruling that drew thousands of demonstrators into the streets of Pristina.

Crowds gathered in the capital's centre to watch the hearing on a large screen. As the sentence was read out, many in the crowd reacted with shock, some shouting "UCK," the Albanian-language acronym for the Kosovo Liberation Army that Thaci led before entering politics. Others wept openly.

"We are deeply aggrieved by the verdict handed down against them. We know they are innocent, and the people of Kosovo have not condemned them," said Mihane Sadiku, a resident of Pristina. She blamed Serbia and its collaborators for the case, saying they had "orchestrated and concocted all these matters before sending them to The Hague."

Another supporter, Bekim Fetahu, called the outcome "a catastrophic decision," adding that the judges had "put the victims together with the aggressors."

Demonstrators carried Kosovo Liberation Army flags and banners reading "Not in my name," "Freedom has a name" and, in Albanian, "In the name of the people, declare them innocent." Some chanted "KLA" as they stood among flags bearing the words "Our heroes."

Idriz Idrizi, another citizen at the rally, said NATO had taken part in the same actions. "If we are criminals, then they are criminals together with us, because we fought the war together," he said. "This is a disgrace for the world."

Thaci, 58, resigned from office nearly six years ago to face the charges. The panel at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers convicted him of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention. Both he and prosecutors, who had sought a stricter sentence, can appeal.

Presiding Judge Charles Smith said Thaci actively participated in and encouraged crimes, including by promoting individuals involved in them, and displayed "a ruthless ability to remove and eliminate political impediments" to his and other commanders' leadership.

The verdict marks a sharp reversal for a figure once embraced by the West, invited to the 1999 peace talks in France and viewed as a leader who could guide Kosovo to independence. He rose to political power after the war but stepped down as president to defend himself before the court in The Hague.

Most of the 13,000 people who died in the Kosovo war were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian forces ended the fighting, and about one million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Belgrade refuses to recognise. Ties between the two remain tense despite years of EU-mediated negotiations supported by the United States.