Hague court convicts Kosovo’s former President Thaci of war crimes, sentences him to 25 years

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A European Union-backed court on Wednesday convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci of four counts of war crimes committed during his country’s war for independence from Serbia and sentenced him to 25 years in prison.

Thaci, 58, who resigned from office nearly six years ago to face the charges, was convicted by a panel of judges at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention.

Wearing a suit and tie, Thaci stood in silence as Presiding Judge Charles Smith read out the sentence.

Thaci faced multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, torture and persecution alongside three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who fought Serb forces in the 1998-99 war. They are widely regarded as national heroes in their homeland.

Thousands of people rallied in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital, over the weekend in support of the four men. The protesters filled a central square in the capital, many carrying red and black Albanian flags.

Portraits of the four former KLA fighters have been plastered across the city along with a huge digital clock counting down to Wednesday’s verdicts.

“In the name of the people, declare them innocent,” one banner read.

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Prosecutors at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers court in The Hague have asked for a maximum 45-year prison sentence for Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. They have all denied the charges against them.

“Throughout my life, I stood with the people of Kosovo defending freedom, life and dignity. I was always guided by the Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice,” Thaci told judges in February at the end of his nearly three-year trial.

According to prosecutors, the men targeted political opponents and civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors during their time in the KLA.

The staff at the European Union-backed court are largely international due to fears about witness safety and security. In 2022, the court convicted two leaders of a Kosovo war veterans’ association for intimidating witnesses by publicizing leaked confidential documents.

Thaci also faces a separate trial on charges of intimidating witnesses that will begin later this month.

He was a student who returned from what he described as political exile in Switzerland to join Kosovo’s struggle for independence. He earned the nickname “the Snake” for his ability to evade Serb forces during the conflict.

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He was embraced by Western leaders, who invited him to the 1999 peace talks in France in his role as political director of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and was seen as a leader who could guide the country toward independence.

Thaci rose to political power after the war but resigned as president to defend himself before the court in The Hague.

Most of the 13,000 people who died in the war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day campaign of NATO airstrikes against Serbian forces ended the fighting. About 1 million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes.

In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, a move that Belgrade refuses to recognize. Ties between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense, despite years of negotiations mediated by the European Union and supported by the United States.

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周三，欧盟支持的一家法院裁定科索沃前总统哈希姆·萨奇犯有四项战争罪行，这些罪行发生在科索沃脱离塞尔维亚独立战争期间，并判处他 25 年监禁。

现年 58 岁的塔奇在近六年前辞去职务以面对指控，科索沃特别法庭的一个法官小组判定他犯有谋杀、酷刑、残忍对待和任意拘留罪。

身着西装领带的塔西静静地站在那里，听着主审法官查尔斯·史密斯宣读判决。

塔奇与另外三名曾在1998-99年科索沃战争中与塞尔维亚军队作战的科索沃解放军前领导人一起，面临多项战争罪和反人类罪的指控，包括谋杀、酷刑和迫害。他们在科索沃被广泛视为民族英雄。

上周末，数千人在科索沃首都普里什蒂纳举行集会，声援四名男子。抗议者挤满了首都的中心广场，许多人挥舞着红黑相间的阿尔巴尼亚国旗。

全城张贴着四名前科索沃解放军战士的画像，还有一个巨大的电子钟，倒计时显示着周三的判决结果。

“以人民的名义，宣布他们无罪！”一条横幅上写道。

埃尔金·科茨/阿纳多卢/盖蒂图片社

海牙科索沃特别法庭的检察官要求对塔奇和其他被告卡德里·韦塞利、雷杰普·塞利米和雅库普·克拉斯尼奇判处最高45年监禁。他们均否认了对他们的指控。

“我一生都与科索沃人民站在一起，捍卫自由、生命和尊严。我始终以西方民主、平等和正义的理想为指导，”塔奇在2月份他近三年的审判结束时对法官们说道。

检察官称，这些人以政治对手和在科索沃解放军服役期间被视为合作者和叛徒的平民为目标。

由于担心证人安全，欧盟支持的这个法庭的工作人员大多来自世界各地。2022年，该法庭判定两名科索沃战争老兵协会的领导人犯有恐吓证人的罪行，他们通过公开泄露的机密文件来达到目的。

塔奇还面临另一项指控，即恐吓证人，该案将于本月晚些时候开庭审理。

他曾是一名学生，在瑞士度过了他所谓的政治流亡期后，返回科索沃投身于争取独立的斗争。由于在冲突期间能够巧妙地躲避塞尔维亚军队的追捕，他赢得了“蛇”的绰号。

Marko Drobnjakovic/AP

尽管欧盟发出警告，战争罪犯姆拉迪奇仍在塞尔维亚被当作英雄下葬。

他受到西方领导人的​​欢迎，他们邀请他以科索沃解放军政治主任的身份参加 1999 年在法国举行的和平谈判，并视他为能够带领国家走向独立的领导人。

战后，塔奇崛起成为政治人物，但为了在海牙法庭为自己辩护，他辞去了总统职务。

科索沃战争中丧生的13000人中，绝大多数是阿尔巴尼亚族人。北约对塞尔维亚军队进行了为期78天的空袭，最终结束了这场战争。约有100万科索沃阿尔巴尼亚族人被迫离开家园。

2008年，科索沃宣布脱离塞尔维亚独立，但贝尔格莱德拒绝承认这一举动。尽管多年来在欧盟的斡旋和美国的支持下进行了谈判，科索沃和塞尔维亚之间的关系依然紧张。