A special tribunal in The Hague has sentenced former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi to 25 years in prison following a major war crimes trial. Established to prosecute atrocities from the 1998-1999 Kosovo War, the court delivered its first-instance verdict today against Thaçi and three other prominent former political figures. Once a top commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army and a key architect of the nation’s independence, Thaçi was convicted of severe war crimes by the panel of judges. However, he was formally acquitted of all charges relating to crimes against humanity.