Thaçi sentenced to 25 years for Kosovo war crimes

Thaçi's associates were also found guilty of participating in a joint criminal enterprise. Jakup Krasniqi, a former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) wartime commander, was also sentenced to 25 years in prison, while fellow wartime commanders Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi were sentenced to 18 and 13 years, respectively.

Presiding Judge Charles Smith told Thaçi, "in the name of the people of Kosovo", that he was guilty of the unlawful arrest and detention of 385 people, cruel treatment of 49, mistreatment of 303 and the murder of 96 people.

All four were acquitted of charges alleging crimes against humanity.

Dozens of Thaçi supporters gathered outside the court ahead of the verdict, chanting "UCK", the Albanian acronym for the KLA, and waving its flags.

Around 1,000 Kosovo Albanians followed the verdict on a large screen at another location in the city.

Prosecutors had sought 45-year prison sentences for Thaçi, 58, and the three other former KLA commanders.

The verdict is being closely followed in Kosovo and Serbia, where the legacy of the 1998-99 conflict and Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008 remain sources of tension between Kosovo Albanians and Serbs.

Thaçi remains a respected figure among many Kosovo Albanians, while the court is deeply unpopular in Kosovo.

Fearing witness intimidation, many prosecution witnesses testified behind closed doors, further fuelling distrust of the court among the Kosovo public.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers were established in 2015 under international pressure to prosecute former members of the KLA over alleged war crimes and post-war crimes.