The Newshound

Protesters storm Kosovo EU mission as ex-president Hashim Thaçi is jailed for 25 years for war crimes

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Hashim Thaçi, found guilty of murder and torture by a Hague tribunal, was once celebrated as a liberation hero and founding father of modern Kosovo.
Hashim Thaçi, found guilty of murder and torture by a Hague tribunal, was once celebrated as a liberation hero and founding father of modern Kosovo.
Protesters clash with riot police at a gate during demonstrations in which crowds stormed the EU Rule of Law Mission in Prishtina after Hashim Thaçi was handed a 25-year sentence.
Protesters clash with riot police at a gate during demonstrations in which crowds stormed the EU Rule of Law Mission in Prishtina after Hashim Thaçi was handed a 25-year sentence.

Young men marched in large numbers on the EU Rule of Law Mission in Prishtina, hurling stones and clashing with riot police after The Hague court handed former Kosovo Liberation Army commander Hashim Thaçi a 25-year prison sentence for war crimes. Judges convicted Thaçi of murdering 96 political opponents, unlawfully detaining 385 people, and torturing more than 300 during the 1998–1999 conflict over Kosovo's independence from Serbia.

In The Hague, protesters fought with police and scaled a police van before water cannon broke up the crowds.

Kosovo Premier Albin Kurti denounced the verdict as 'a great and harmful' injustice, while those convicted retain the status of national heroes among Kosovo Albanians.

The court determined that Thaçi had 'actively participated in and encouraged crimes' alongside three fellow former KLA commanders who faced trial with him.

Moreaol.co.ukAnger over Thaçi war crimes sentence spills into protests at Kosovo EU missionibtimes.co.ukFormer Kosovo President Hashim Thaci Sentenced to 25 Years in Hague War Crimes Casedw.comKosovo ex-president Thaci convicted of war crimes
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