AssetID: 56026613
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci Sentenced to 25 Years for War Crimes
Caption: Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci Sentenced to 25 Years for War Crimes. Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of war crimes committed during the 1998-99 conflict with Serbia. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague convicted Thaci of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention linked to his role as a senior commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army. Prosecutors had sought a 45-year prison sentence, accusing Thaci and three other former KLA commanders of responsibility for crimes against perceived opponents of the armed group. The court found Thaci criminally responsible for the murder of 96 people, the illegal detention of 385 people and the torture of 303 others, according to the tribunal's findings. Thaci, who served as Kosovo's president from 2016 until his resignation in 2020, has denied all the charges and maintained his innocence throughout the trial. He resigned after the indictment was confirmed so that he could face the proceedings in The Hague, where the trial began in 2023 after years of investigation. The verdict is particularly significant in Kosovo, where Thaci remains a prominent figure for many ethnic Albanians and the KLA is associated with the struggle for independence from Serbia. Supporters gathered in Pristina and outside the court in The Hague to protest, while the ruling is likely to have wider repercussions for how the conflict and its legacy are viewed in Kosovo. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Current Affairs & Politics,Hashim Thaci,Kosovo,war,Serbia,Albania,president,resignation,Kosovo Liberation Army,war crimes,opponents,The Hague,court,trial,sentence,verdict,jail,prison,guilty
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