The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague have delivered their first-instance judgment in the war crimes case against four former senior Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) figures: former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi.

All four defendants were found guilty of multiple war crimes and received combined prison sentences totaling 81 years.

The sentences are:

Hashim Thaçi — 25 years in prison

Kadri Veseli — 18 years in prison

Rexhep Selimi — 13 years in prison

Jakup Krasniqi — 25 years in prison

The Trial Panel found the four former KLA leaders criminally responsible for arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful killings. They were acquitted of the charges of crimes against humanity.

According to the judgment, the crimes established by the Trial Panel were serious and occurred across a broad geographic area, covering 14 municipalities in Kosovo and two districts in northern Albania.

Individual sentences

For Rexhep Selimi, the Trial Panel imposed individual sentences of six years for arbitrary detention, two years for cruel treatment, eight years for torture and 11 years for unlawful killing. His final aggregate sentence was set at 13 years in prison, with credit given for the time already spent in detention.

Jakup Krasniqi received individual sentences of 15 years for arbitrary detention, four years for cruel treatment, 20 years for torture and 23 years for unlawful killing. His final aggregate sentence was set at 25 years, also taking into account time already spent in detention.

The Trial Panel also found Hashim Thaçi and Kadri Veseli guilty of the war crimes of arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and unlawful killing. Thaçi was sentenced to 25 years, while Veseli received 18 years in prison.

The judgment delivered in The Hague is a first-instance ruling. The parties have the right to appeal the decision, meaning the proceedings are not necessarily at their final stage.

The case concerns alleged crimes committed during the 1998–1999 Kosovo war and represents one of the most significant judicial proceedings arising from the conflict.