Hashim Thaçi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hashim Thaçi
Official portrait, 2016
President of Kosovo
In office 7 April 2016 – 5 November 2020
Prime Minister	Isa Mustafa Ramush Haradinaj Albin Kurti Avdullah Hoti
Preceded by	Atifete Jahjaga
Succeeded by	Vjosa Osmani
Prime Minister of Kosovo
In office 9 January 2008 – 9 December 2014
President	Fatmir Sejdiu Behgjet Pacolli Atifete Jahjaga
Deputy	Hajredin Kuçi Ramë Manaj Behgjet Pacolli Mimoza Kusari-Lila Bujar Bukoshi Edita Tahiri Slobodan Petrović
Preceded by	Agim Çeku
Succeeded by	Isa Mustafa
In office 2 April 1999 – 1 February 2000 In opposition to Bujar Bukoshi
President	Ibrahim Rugova
Preceded by	Bujar Bukoshi
Succeeded by	Bajram Rexhepi
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 12 December 2014 – 7 April 2016
Prime Minister	Isa Mustafa
Preceded by	Enver Hoxhaj
Succeeded by	Enver Hoxhaj
Leader of the Democratic Party
In office 27 October 1999 – 26 February 2016
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Kadri Veseli
Political Director of KLA
In office March 1999 – June 1999
Preceded by	Adem Demaçi
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	(1968-04-24) 24 April 1968 (age 56) Srbica, AP KiM, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia (now Skenderaj, Kosovo)
Political party	Democratic League (before 1993) Democratic Party (1999–2016) Independent (2016–present)
Spouse	Lumnije Thaçi
Children	1
Alma mater	University of Pristina University of Zürich
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Kosova
Branch/service	Kosovo Liberation Army
Years of service	1993–1999
Rank	Commander
Battles/wars	Insurgency in Kosovo Kosovo War Glogovac Attack

Hashim Thaçi (Albanian pronunciation: [hä'ʃɪm 'θɑ:t͡ɕɪ]; born 24 April 1968) is a Kosovar Albanian politician who was the president of Kosovo from April 2016 until his resignation on 5 November 2020 to face a war crimes tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity. He was the first prime minister of Kosovo and the Foreign minister and deputy prime minister in the new cabinet led by Isa Mustafa, which assumed office on 12 December 2014.

Thaçi is from the region of Drenica in Kosovo, which is where the KLA originated. He studied philosophy in Prishtina before moving to Switzerland, where he joined the Kosovo Liberation Army in 1993. He rose through the ranks of the KLA to become leader of the most powerful faction by 1999, during the Rambouillet negotiations. He then joined the interim Kosovo administration after the war.

Thaçi became leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), which won the largest share of the vote in the 2007 Kosovo elections. In 2008, Thaçi declared the independence of Kosovo and became its first prime minister. In 2016 he was elected President of Kosovo. Thaçi has pursued a pro-American policy while in office. There have been controversies regarding Thaçi's role in the KLA and allegations about him being involved in organized crime. In 2020, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office filed a ten-count Indictment, charging Hashim Thaçi and others for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Thaçi subsequently resigned from his position as president, in his words, in order to "protect the integrity of the presidency of Kosovo".

As of April 2023, he has pled not guilty to war crimes and his trial is ongoing at The Hague.

Early life and education

Hashim Thaçi was born in the village of Broćna, Srbica, SFR Yugoslavia (now Buroja, Skenderaj, Kosovo). His family comes from the Thaçi tribe. Skenderaj is located in the Drenica valley, a historical region resistant of Serbian rule. Drenica would become the birthplace of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the early 1990s.

Thaçi studied philosophy and history at the University of Pristina. By 1993, he was living in Switzerland, where he joined the Albanian political émigré group. He registered for postgraduate studies at the University of Zürich in the departments of history and international relations and later got his masters. As a young man, Thaçi was part of a group committed to overthrowing Yugoslavia's government, which was financed and supported by Enver Hoxha, the former dictator of Albania.

Role in KLA

In 1993, Thaçi became a member of the inner circle of the KLA. The charisma of leaders such as Thaçi helped the KLA gain support from Kosovo Albanians. Thaçi (nom de guerre "Gjarpëri" - The Snake) was responsible for securing financial means and armaments, and training recruits in Albania to be dispatched to Kosovo. On 11 July 1997, Thaçi was tried in absentia and convicted by the District Court in Pristina for terrorism associated with his activities in the KLA, and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In March 1999, Thaçi participated in the Rambouillet negotiations as the leader of the Kosovar Albanian team. Thaçi was perceived by western diplomats during the negotiations as the "voice of reason" within the KLA: his attendance at the negotiations demonstrated a willingness to accept autonomy for Kosovo within Serbia at a time when other rebel leaders rejected any solution short of full national independence.

Thaçi emerged from the final diplomatic settlement as the leader of the strongest faction within a KLA rife with factionalism. He moved quickly to consolidate power, unilaterally naming himself prime minister within a provisional government and allegedly ordering the assassination of the leaders of rival armed factions.

Prime Minister of Kosovo

Victory in 2007 election and declaration of Kosovar independence

US President George W. Bush shakes hands with Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu (center) and Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi (left) during a meeting in the White House on 21 July 2008, after Kosovo declared independence.

Kosovo elections were held on 17 November 2007. After early results based on 90 percent of the votes, Hashim Thaçi, who was on course to gain 34 percent, claimed victory for the PDK. He stated his intention to declare independence without delay on 10 December, the date set by the United Nations for the end of negotiations with Serbia. At 45 percent, the turnout at the election was particularly low, as most Serbs refused to vote.

On 19 November 2007, several EU foreign ministers warned Thaçi and his allies against proceeding with their declaration of independence without consultations. Luxembourg's Jean Asselborn and Sweden's Carl Bildt urged the PDK not to make any hasty moves, while the EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana stressed the importance of proper preparations prior to formal independence. After EU talks on Kosovo in London on 19 November 2007, the UK's Europe minister, Jim Murphy, said independence without foreign support could isolate the breakaway province.

Thaçi and U.S. Senator Joe Biden with Declaration of Independence of Kosovo

Hashim Thaçi was designated as the next leader of Kosovo's government on 11 December 2007 by the Kosovar President Fatmir Sejdiu and told to form a government "as soon as possible". His Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) began coalition talks with the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) as well as the Alliance for New Kosovo (AKR). Those parties together control 75 seats of 120 in the assembly.

On 9 January 2008, Thaçi was elected as prime minister by parliament, with 85 votes in favor and 22 against. On this occasion, he stated his intention to achieve independence for Kosovo in the first half of 2008.

On 16 February 2008, Thaçi announced that the next day, 17 February, would be key for "implementing the will of the citizens of Kosovo", strongly implying the province would declare independence from Serbia. On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. Thaçi became Prime Minister of the newly independent state. On 6 June 2008, a gunman broke into Thaçi's home in Pristina, while the latter was not present.

Relationships and Coalition with the Democratic League of Kosovo

Thaçi joined by his Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 3 November 2010

Thaçi and Albanian PM Sali Berisha at the opening of Kalimash tunnel

President of Kosovo

2016 presidential election

Thaçi was elected the President of Kosovo in February 2016, and took office on 7 April 2016. In August 2019, Thaçi asserted that his nation would hold parliamentary elections on 6 October. The President cited that the nation is in need of a "functional and accountable government," which is capable enough to face challenges of the state and society.

Foreign policy

Thaçi during the MSC 2018

In January 2018, Thaçi said that Kosovo would have supported U.S. President Trump's decision to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would have made it the only Muslim-majority nation to do so. But Thaçi told the Albanian newspaper Express that if his country was handed full membership of the global body, it would vote "all the time" with the U.S., even on the resolution motioned last month to protest Trump's decision. Thaçi met with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2017 in New York, and invited Trump to visit Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. According to local media, he said their meeting was "exceptionally friendly, warm."

“The Head of State thanked President Trump for his personal support for Kosovo,” his office said in a statement, calling the U.S. a "strategic partner" and saying the support of Washington was "crucial to the peace, stability and overall development of Kosovo and the region." Thaçi told Pristina-based broadcaster RTV21, "President Trump, like all other U.S. presidents, has a clear vision for Kosovo. It is unique support to our country. He said that Kosovo is a wonderful country and that we are a wonderful people."

On 26 November 2019, an earthquake struck Albania. President Thaçi was part of a presidential delegation that visited the earthquake epicentre and expressed his condolences on behalf of Kosovo. In 2019 he met with Trump's Special Envoy Grenell, and in February 2020 signed an agreement with Serbia's president Vučić.

Resignation and arrest

On 24 April 2020, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office located in The Hague filed a ten-count Indictment for the Court’s consideration, charging Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli and others for crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, enforced disappearance of persons, persecution, and torture. The indictment charges the suspects with approximately 100 murders of Kosovo Albanians, Serbs, Roma, and political opponents. Thaçi was at the time on a diplomatic visit to the United States, but returned to Kosovo on learning of the indictment.

On 5 November 2020, Thaçi announced his resignation to reporters “to protect the integrity of the presidency of Kosovo”. He was arrested the same day and transferred to the Hague. Thaçi was replaced by the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani.

Trial

Thaçi made his initial court appearance on 9 November 2020; he pleaded not guilty. His three co-defendants also pleaded not guilty. The trial opened in April 2023.

Countries visited

List of state visits made by Hashim Thaçi as president.

#	Country	Year	Cities visited	Type of visit
1	Vatican City	2016, 2017	Vatican City	State visit
2	Albania	2016, 2019, 2020	Tirana, Durrës, Kodër-Thumanë	State visit
3	Brazil	2016	Rio de Janeiro	Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony
4	Turkey	2016	Ankara	State visit
5	Malta	2016	Valletta	State visit
6	Panama	2016	Panama City	State Visit
7	United States	2017, 2018, 2019, 2020	Washington, D.C., New York City, Des Moines	State visit, Working visit
8	Jordan	2017	Amman	State visit
9	Austria	2017	Vienna	State visit
10	Croatia	2017	Zagreb	State visit
11	Montenegro	2017	Podgorica	State visit
12	Canada	2017	Halifax, Ottawa	State visit
13	Bulgaria	2017, 2018	Sofia	State visit, Working visit
14	France	2017, 2018, 2019	Paris	State visit, Working visit
15	Switzerland	2018	Davos	Working visit
16	South Korea	2018	Pyeongchang	Pyeongchang 2018 Opening Ceremony
17	Macedonia	2018, 2019	Skopje	State visit Inauguration of Stevo Pendarovski
18	Armenia	2018	Yerevan	Francophonie Summit
19	Belarus	2018, 2019	Minsk	Working visit
20	Germany	2019, 2020	Munich, Berlin	Working visit
21	Slovakia	2019	Bratislava	Globsec Forum
22	Japan	2019	Tokyo, Osaka	State visit
23	Monaco	2019	Monte Carlo	Working visit

Honors and awards

•  Albania: On 20 June 2008 received a copy of the key of the city of Tirana on the occasion of his state visit to Albania.
  • Also on 20 June, Thaçi was awarded the Honorary Citizen of the city of Vlorë, for his "historic role in making Kosovo an independent state".
  • In January 2015 Hashim Thaçi was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Tirana, for his contribution in peace-building in Western Balkans, promoting the process of European integrations and achieving the historic Brussels Agreement with Serbia.
  • On 4 October 2016 he was awarded Honorary Citizenship of Shkodër, in a ceremony led by the Mayor of this northern Albanian city.
•  Switzerland: On 1 July 2012, Thaçi received a Doctor Honoris Causa degree as a Doctor of International Relations from the Geneva School of Diplomacy in a ceremony held in that city. Previous recipients of this award include Martin Gray, a Holocaust survivor and writer; Adolf Ogi, the former president of Switzerland; and José Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
•  United States of America: In 2014, Albanian and Serbian Caucuses of US Congress nominated President Thaçi and Serbian FM Ivica Dačić for the Nobel Peace Prize, for their role in achieving the Serbia-Kosovo peace deal.
•  Montenegro: On 4 April 2015, on Ulcinj Day, Thaçi received the title of Honorary Citizen of Ulcinj by the town's municipal government.

See also

In Spanish: Hashim Thaçi para niños