Hashim Thaci, who once led Kosovo as its president, has been convicted of war crimes and handed a 25-year prison term by an international court in The Hague, according to the-star.co.ke. The court issued the verdict and sentence on Wednesday, the outlet reported.
Coverage of the ruling was carried by several news organizations, including Al Jazeera, CNN and The Guardian, all of which reported the same 25-year sentence. The case was decided by an international tribunal sitting in the Dutch city, the reports said.
The conviction centers on war crimes allegations against Thaci, though the material available did not detail the specific charges or the evidence the court weighed. The-star.co.ke did not specify the counts on which he was found guilty or whether he plans to appeal.
The outcome follows public mobilization around the case in Kosovo. Before the verdict was delivered, demonstrators gathered to show support for the former president as his trial neared its conclusion, AP News reported.
Thaci's move from Kosovo's top political office to a defendant before an international court marks a significant turn for a figure who helped lead the territory through its conflict period and later into independence. The Hague tribunal's decision now places a 25-year sentence on a former head of state, a rare outcome in international justice.
What to watch next: whether Thaci's legal team files an appeal, and how the ruling is received in Kosovo in the days ahead.