The German magazine Cicero has published an extensive analysis of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers’ verdict against former KLA leaders, focusing particularly on the 25-year prison sentence handed down to former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi.
The analysis, published on September 20 and written by Alexander Rhotert, highlights the fact that the defendants were acquitted of the charges of crimes against humanity, while describing criticism from Kosovo over the length of the sentences as understandable.
The article also compares Thaçi’s sentence with several figures from Serbia and Bosnia who were convicted by international tribunals for serious crimes committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia.
Cicero mentions Biljana Plavšić, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity; Vojislav Šešelj, who received a 10-year sentence; Jovica Stanišić, who was sentenced to 15 years; and former Serbian police general Vlastimir Đorđević, who received 18 years in prison.
Regarding Đorđević, the article recalls that he was convicted of crimes related to the treatment of Kosovo Albanian civilians.
In this context, author Alexander Rhotert argues that when Thaçi’s sentence is compared with other cases from the former Yugoslavia in which defendants were also convicted of crimes against humanity, the 25-year sentence could be viewed as significantly higher.
According to the analysis, the comparison between Thaçi’s case and that of Đorđević raises at least “a question mark,” although the author acknowledges that the cases were handled by two different courts.
Cicero also examines the Specialist Chambers’ findings regarding the charges of crimes against humanity.
According to the analysis, the court did not find that the defendants intended to expel or carry out the mass killing of non-Albanian people, and the prosecution failed to prove the existence of such an intent.
The analysis was written by political scientist Alexander Rhotert, who, according to his biography published by Cicero, has studied the former Yugoslavia since 1991 and worked for approximately two decades with organizations and institutions including the United Nations, NATO, OSCE, the Office of the High Representative, and the European Union.
