The German media criticizes The Hague: Thaçi 25 years, Serbian officials for crimes against humanity received less
tidings
Express Newspaper
22/09/2026 6:56
The German medium “Cicero” has published an extensive analysis of the verdict of the Special Court in The Hague against the former leaders of the KLA, raising questions especially about the measure of punishment against the former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi.
In the analysis published on September 20, author Alexander Rhotert notes that the accused have been acquitted of crimes against humanity and considers the criticism that has come from Kosovo about the length of the sentences understandable.
“Cicero” draws attention to the comparison with some figures from Serbia and Bosnia, convicted by international tribunals for serious crimes during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. The media mentions Biljana Plavšić, sentenced to 11 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity, Vojislav Šešelj to 10 years, Jovica Stanišić to 15 years, as well as former Serbian police general Vlastimir Đorđević, sentenced to 18 years in prison.
For the latter, the article recalls that he was convicted for crimes against Kosovo Albanian civilians.  In this context, the author writes that, compared to other cases from the former Yugoslavia where punishments for crimes against humanity have been imposed, the sentence of 25 years against Thaçi seems significantly more severe. According to the analysis, the comparison between the case of Thaçi and that of Đorđević raises at least “a question mark”, although the author underlines that it is about two different courts.  “Cicero” also emphasizes that the Court did not establish that the convicts had the intention of mass deportation or murder of non-Albanians and that the prosecution failed to prove such an intention.
The analysis was written by Alexander Rhotert, a political scientist who has been studying the former Yugoslavia since 1991 and who, according to the biography published by “Cicero”, has worked for about 20 years in UN, NATO, OSCE, OHR and EU structures.
