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Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of war crimes by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
The 58-year-old was convicted on four war crimes charges, including murder, torture and illegal detention, stemming from the 1998-99 conflict between Kosovo Albanian forces and Serbia.
The court found Thaci criminally responsible for the killing of 96 people, including political opponents and people suspected of collaborating with Serbian security forces. He has denied all charges.
Three other former senior Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders were also sentenced in the same case. Jakup Krasniqi received 25 years, Kadri Veseli 18 years and Rexhep Selimi 13 years in prison.
However, the court acquitted all four defendants of six crimes against humanity charges, ruling that prosecutors had failed to prove that the offences formed part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians.
The verdict has been controversial in Kosovo, where many ethnic Albanians regard Thaci and the KLA as heroes for their role in the 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia. Thousands of people in the capital Pristina watched the verdict on large screens, with some chanting in support of Thaci and the KLA after the sentence was announced.