Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi Sentenced to 25 Years for War Crimes

Hashim Thaçi, the former president of Kosovo, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by a tribunal in The Hague for war crimes committed during his time as a senior commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), according to the Guardian.

Thaçi, 58, was convicted alongside three other former senior KLA commanders by the European-backed Kosovo Specialist Chambers. The tribunal found the four responsible for 96 murders, as well as counts of torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention directed at political opponents and civilians, the report said.

The crimes were committed during Kosovo's war for independence from Serbia in the late 1990s, a period in which Thaçi held a senior command role within the KLA before later becoming the country's president.

The Guardian reported that the sentencing marks a significant development in efforts to hold former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders accountable for actions taken during the conflict, which was fought as Kosovo sought to break away from Serbian rule.

Further details on the specific charges, the identities of the co-defendants, and reactions from Kosovo and Serbia were not included in the available source material.