Kosovo ex-President Thaci gets 25 years for war crimes; Belgrade residents say sentence too light
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was sentenced to 25 years by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers; Belgrade residents said the punishment was insufficient.
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, drawing reactions from residents in Belgrade who said the punishment fell short of what they expected.
Thaci, 58, resigned from office nearly six years ago to face the charges. Judges at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers found him guilty of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention. He can appeal.
The case stemmed from multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and persecution, brought against Thaci alongside three other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders who fought Serb forces in the 1998-99 war. The four men are widely regarded as national heroes in Kosovo.
All four were acquitted on six charges of crimes against humanity after judges ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove the crimes were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians. They had denied all charges. Prosecutors had sought a maximum 45-year sentence for Thaci and his co-defendants.
The other defendants were also sentenced: Kadri Veseli received 18 years, Rexhep Selimi 13 years and Jakup Krasniqi 25 years.
In Belgrade, residents interviewed on the street offered mixed but largely critical assessments of the outcome. Dragan Tomovic said the sentence was not enough and that Thaci deserved life imprisonment. Relja Janjic said the punishment was insufficient given the acts involved, but added that it still carried meaning for the Serbian people. Goran Simic said a higher sentence could have been imposed, noting he had not followed the trial in detail but believed the accusations warranted more time.