Former KLA commander and Kosovo president Hashim Thaci was sentenced to 25 years in prison<\/p>\n
Violent protests have erupted in Serbia\u2019s breakaway region of Kosovo and abroad after a Hague-based special tribunal convicted former politician and paramilitary commander Hashim Thaci of war crimes.
\nIn its ruling on Wednesday, the tribunal sentenced Thaci, a commander of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), to 25 years in prison for the murder of 96 people and the torture of around 300 others during the group\u2019s fight for the region\u2019s independence from Serbia in the late 1990s.
\nSerbian forces withdrew from Kosovo in 1999 after NATO accused Belgrade of ethnic cleansing and launched a bombing campaign against Yugoslavia. After the war, Thaci went on to serve as the first prime minister of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo and later as its president.
\nEthnic Albanians, who make up the majority of Kosovo\u2019s population, took to the streets to protest the verdict.
\nIn footage circulating on social media, hundreds of demonstrators can be seen facing off against riot police in the breakaway republic, with dozens kicking at officers\u2019 riot shields.
\nProtesters gathered outside the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) building in Pristina, launching fireworks and throwing bottles and stones.<\/p>\n
[ \ud83c\uddfd\ud83c\uddf0 KOSOVO | \ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddf8 SERBIE ]\ud83d\udd38 Des milliers de manifestants ont d\u00e9fil\u00e9 \u00e0 Pristina jusqu’au si\u00e8ge de la mission europ\u00e9enne EULEX, jetant pierres, bouteilles, pav\u00e9s et feux d’artifice et tentant de forcer l’entr\u00e9e du b\u00e2timent. La police kosovare a affront\u00e9 la foule mais a emp\u00each\u00e9\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/GSFjurfBBQ pic.twitter.com\/LEPkl0Kaii\u2014 Little Think Tank (@L_ThinkTank) September 16, 2026 <\/p>\n
In the Netherlands, where the verdict was delivered, protesters were filmed attacking police vans.<\/p>\n
In the video, members of the Albanian diaspora are protesting in The Hague after the sentencing of Hashim Thaci and other high-ranking leaders of the unrecognized Kosovo pic.twitter.com\/NRiLiSBw1B\u2014 \ud835\udd4a\ud835\udd61\ud835\udd63\ud835\udd5a\ud835\udd5f\ud835\udd65\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd63 \ud835\udd7b\ud835\udd63\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd64\ud835\udd64 (@SprinterPress) September 16, 2026 <\/p>\n
Most Western countries recognize Kosovo\u2019s independence, while Serbia, Russia, China, India, Iran and several other countries do not. A NATO-led peacekeeping force has been stationed in the region since 1999. Despite attempts at normalization, tensions remain between Serbia and the Albanian-majority government in Pristina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former KLA commander and Kosovo president Hashim Thaci was sentenced to 25 years in prison Violent protests have erupted in Serbia\u2019s breakaway region of Kosovo and abroad after a Hague-based…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38302,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t