科索沃前总统萨奇因战争罪被海牙特别法庭判处25年监禁Hague Court Sentences Former Kosovo President Thaci to 25 Years for War Crimes

设在海牙的科索沃特别法庭主审法官查尔斯·史密斯在宣判中指出，哈希姆·萨奇被裁定犯有谋杀、酷刑、残忍待遇以及任意拘禁等四项战争罪名。法庭认定，萨奇在科索沃解放军行动期间不仅知情，而且积极参与并鼓励了针对被视为政治对手以及塞尔维亚安全部队通敌者的罪行。

Presiding Judge Charles Smith of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague delivered the verdict, convicting Hashim Thaci on four counts of war crimes, including murder, torture, cruel treatment, and arbitrary detention. The judicial panel concluded that during his tenure as a commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army, Thaci actively participated in and encouraged crimes targeting political opponents and individuals perceived as collaborators with Serbian security forces.

根据法庭公布的罪行细节，萨奇对战时科索沃解放军杀害96名政治异见人士与通敌者的行为负有直接法律责任。此外，特别法庭确认其涉入非法拘禁385名受害者并对300多人实施酷刑折磨。检方指控显示，相关暴行涵盖了关押在科索沃及阿尔巴尼亚境内设施内的囚犯，受害者包括塞尔维亚人、阿尔巴尼亚人及罗姆人平民。

The tribunal established that Thaci was legally responsible for the KLA's murder of 96 political opponents and suspected collaborators during the conflict. The court also convicted him in connection with the unlawful detention of 385 people and the torture of more than 300 victims. According to prosecution evidence accepted by the judges, these offenses spanned detention facilities in both Kosovo and Albania, involving politically motivated abuses against Serb, ethnic Albanian, and Roma civilians.

在历时近三年的审判过程中，萨奇与卡德里·韦塞利、雷杰普·塞利米以及雅库普·克拉斯尼奇三名前科索沃解放军高级指挥官共同受审。检方在诉讼中要求对萨奇等四名被告处以最高45年的监禁，指控他们在科索沃战争期间及战后直接针对政敌、平民通敌者和背叛者实施了多项战争罪与危害人类罪。

During the trial that spanned nearly three years, Thaci stood in the dock alongside three other former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders: Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi. Prosecutors at the tribunal demanded maximum sentences of 45 years in prison for Thaci and his three co-defendants, alleging that the former guerrilla leaders systematically targeted political opponents, civilians, and suspected Serbian collaborators during and immediately following the armed conflict.

四名被告在庭审中全盘否认了所有指控。辩护律师主张，战时的科索沃解放军缺乏严格的指挥控制体系，高级领导层无法对前线人员的个别违法行为负责，且检方并未提出任何直接证据将萨奇的指令与涉案罪行直接关联。萨奇在法庭陈词中坚称，自己毕生捍卫科索沃人民的自由与尊严，其一切行动始终以西方民主、平等和法治理念为指引。

All four defendants maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings. Defense attorneys argued that the KLA lacked a strict centralized command structure, meaning top leaders could neither supervise nor be held legally responsible for abuses carried out across dispersed units. Defense counsel also asserted that prosecutors presented no direct evidence connecting Thaci's command authority to the alleged crimes. Addressing the judges directly, Thaci insisted that his life was dedicated to defending the freedom and dignity of Kosovo's people while guided by Western democratic ideals.

萨奇早年结束在瑞士的流亡生涯返回科索沃，投身争取独立的武装斗争。在冲突期间，他因屡次躲避塞尔维亚军队的追捕而获得代号“蛇”。作为科索沃解放军的政治主管，萨奇在1999年受西方国家领导人邀请赴法国参加和平谈判，随后逐步成为主导战后政治格局的核心人物，并在2008年推动科索沃正式宣布脱离塞尔维亚独立。

Thaci returned from what he described as political exile in Switzerland as a student to join Kosovo's armed struggle for independence against Serbia. During the conflict, his ability to elude Serbian security forces earned him the wartime nickname 'the Snake.' Western leaders later invited Thaci to the 1999 peace talks in France in his capacity as the political director of the Kosovo Liberation Army, establishing him as a prominent figure who went on to play an instrumental role in Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence.

在2020年遭到科索沃特别法庭正式起诉后，萨奇辞去总统职务，前往海牙接受司法审查并一直处于羁押状态。除了本案判决外，特别法庭因证人安全问题长期由国际人员主导；萨奇还面临另一项涉嫌恐吓证人的独立指控，该案相关庭审定于本月晚些时候在海牙正式启动。

Following his formal indictment by the Specialist Prosecutor's Office in 2020, Thaci stepped down from the presidency and traveled to The Hague, remaining in custody throughout the proceedings. The tribunal operates with international staff due to persistent concerns regarding witness protection and security. In addition to the war crimes sentence handed down on Wednesday, Thaci faces separate criminal charges relating to the intimidation of witnesses, with that trial scheduled to open later this month.

海牙法庭宣判之际，判决过程在科索沃首都普里什蒂纳进行了现场直播，数千名支持者涌入市中心广场表达声援。周末期间当地曾举行数万人规模的集会，抗议者手持红黑两色的阿尔巴尼亚国旗，并在街道上张贴四名被告的巨幅画像，甚至设置了通往宣判日的巨型倒计时数字钟。示威横幅写有“以人民的名义宣布他们无罪”的口号，当地社会依然将萨奇和科索沃解放军视作争取国家独立的象征与民族英雄。

As the verdict was livestreamed in Pristina, thousands of supporters gathered in the capital to express solidarity with Hashim Thaci and his co-defendants. This followed weekend demonstrations that drew tens of thousands of people carrying red and black Albanian flags. Across the city, portraits of the four former commanders were displayed alongside a massive digital clock counting down to the court ruling, with protest banners declaring 'In the name of the people, declare them innocent.' The defendants and the Kosovo Liberation Army remain widely revered across the country as heroes of the independence struggle.

科索沃总理阿尔宾·库尔蒂在判决公布前公开发表声明，坚称科索沃当年进行的解放战争是完全正义的，并表示相信且期望科索沃解放军领导人能够重获自由回到祖国与家人身边。多国驻当地使馆因宣判结果对潜在的社会动荡发出了安全预警。科索沃特别法庭成立于2016年，此前科索沃本地审理多起案件因政治干预与恐吓证人而受挫。尽管该法庭依据科索沃法律设立并专门起诉科索沃解放军涉嫌的战争罪行，但在该国境内长期面临广泛反对，迄今起诉的15人中有3人正在服刑。

Ahead of the sentencing, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti defended the armed campaign, stating that the liberation war was just and expressing belief and hope that the former guerrilla leaders would return free to their homeland and families. Meanwhile, foreign embassies issued warnings regarding the potential for public unrest following the verdict. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers was established in 2016 under Kosovo law to prosecute alleged KLA war crimes after local proceedings suffered from political interference and witness intimidation. Operating with international judges in The Hague, the court remains deeply unpopular within Kosovo, where three of the fifteen individuals indicted so far are currently serving sentences.