Kosovo's former president Hashim Thaci sentenced to 25 years for war crimes

The Hague-based Kosovo war crimes tribunal has sentenced former President Hashim Thaci to 25 years in prison after convicting him of crimes committed during the 1990s independence war.

• The tribunal found Thaci guilty of murder, torture, illegal detention and cruel treatment committed as commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
• The court ruled he bore responsibility for the killing of 96 political opponents and perceived collaborators with Serbian forces.
• Thaci, who served as Kosovo's first prime minister and later president, denies all charges.
• Prosecutors had requested a 45-year prison sentence for Thaci and three co-accused KLA commanders.
• Thaci resigned as president in 2020 to face trial, and the court's verdict can be appealed.
• The court also convicted three other former KLA commanders, rejecting defence claims that the KLA was not centrally controlled.
• Many in Kosovo oppose the ruling, viewing the KLA leaders as national heroes.