Thaci, 58, was facing multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, torture and persecution, alongside three other former high-ranking commanders of the ethnic Albanian separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who fought Serb forces in the 1998-99 war.
The four men are largely viewed as national heroes in their homeland.
Thousands rallied in Pristina in support of the four men. Crowds filled a central square in the capital, with many waving red and black Albanian flags. “In the name of the people, declare them innocent,” one banner read.
Prosecutors at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers court in The Hague had asked for a maximum 45-year prison sentence for Thaci and the other defendants – Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. They all denied the charges.
“Throughout my life, I stood with the people of Kosovo defending freedom, life and dignity. I was always guided by the Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice,” Thaci told judges in February at the end of his almost three-year trial.
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