US EditionWar crimes prosecutors seek 45 years' prison for Kosovo ex-president
Prosecutors accuse Thaci and three co-defendants of targeting over 100 political opponents and collaborators during Kosovo's 1998-99 war for independence.
- Seeking 45-year sentences, prosecutors told the court `the four accused's goal to gain and exercise control over all of Kosovo`, at The Hague on Feb 9.
- During 1998–99, prosecutors say the defendants face charges of murder, torture, persecution and forced disappearances while targeting political opponents and perceived collaborators as Kosovo Liberation Army commanders.
- Prosecutor Kimberly West told the court `The accused committed crimes against their perceived opponents to take control over Kosovo` and said more than 100 political opponents were killed in around 50 detention camps run by the KLA.
- Thaci and his co-accused maintain not guilty pleas; defence lawyers are expected to give closing statements on Wednesday, and a second trial for witness intimidation begins later this month.
- With most victims from the ethnic Albanian majority, about 1 million displaced ethnic Albanian Kosovars suffered, while many Kosovars view the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, established 2015, as biased despite its international judges and lawyers.
32 Articles
32 Articles
International law: Thaçi was one of the leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The prosecutor holds him responsible for war crimes in the…
The prosecutor of the Kosovo War Crimes Tribunal, Kimberly West, is seeking 45 years in prison for former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi and three other accused members of the former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). According to the prosecutor, they participated in war crimes and crimes against humanity as top leaders of the rebel group.
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci controlled ethnic Albanian guerrillas and should be sentenced to 45 years in prison for war crimes, the international prosecutor's office stressed today at the special war crimes court in Kosovo, Croatian news agency Hina reports. Thaci's defense is expected to make its closing arguments in the proceedings on Wednesday.
The Special Prosecutor's Office in The Hague today proposed in its closing arguments that the court sentence four former leaders of the so-called KLA to 45-year sentences each on war crimes charges.
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