Following yesterday’s decision by The Hague court on former KLA leaders, sentenced to a total of 81 years in prison, the Albanian parliament has issued a joint stance.
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Parliament Speaker Niko Peleshi declared that no verdict can change a people’s history or place the victim in the same position as the aggressor.
In the full declaration, the Albanian parliament expresses deep indignation and complete opposition to the decision, which it considers profoundly unjust for Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi.
The parliament reiterates that there is a historical truth that cannot be relativized: the war of the Kosovo Liberation Army was aimed at the freedom and liberation of Kosovo. It was the effort of a people to end violence, repression, and persecution, and to gain the right to live free in their own country.
According to the declaration, this war came as a response to the ongoing repression, violence, ethnic cleansing, and genocide carried out by the regime of Slobodan Milošević. The history of Kosovo’s liberation cannot be understood without the war and sacrifice of the Kosovo Liberation Army against the bloody Serbian occupation.
The KLA is described as the defining force of the Kosovo people’s resistance and the process that led the country toward liberation, freedom, and independence. The parliament emphasizes that Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi cannot be separated from this history, from the liberation effort, and from Kosovo’s path toward freedom, independence, and statehood.
The joint stance underlines that a verdict cannot change a people’s history, deny the liberating nature of Kosovo’s war, equate the victim with the aggressor, or devalue the sacrifice of the KLA.
The parliament also expresses great concern over the use of double standards in dealing with the region’s bloody past. State and public honors for individuals convicted of war crimes, as well as the exaltation of figures linked to genocide and ethnic cleansing, including Ratko Mladić, are considered an affront to the memory of victims, an obstacle to reconciliation, and a violation of European values.
The legislative institution opposes any attempt by Serbia and Russia to politically use this process to minimize the crimes of the Milošević regime and to cast doubt on the liberation war, independence, and statehood of Kosovo.
The Albanian parliament expresses full solidarity with Kosovo, its citizens, and its institutions. It declares that it also stands by Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi, as well as their families.
The declaration states that the conviction of their innocence remains unchanged, just like the historical truth that the KLA waged a war for the freedom and liberation of Kosovo.
The parliament considers that this verdict does not constitute the conclusion of the process. It expects that all legal remedies and other procedural stages will be exhausted, ensuring the full implementation of due process standards.
The Albanian parliament pledges to denounce, in every international forum, the crimes of the Serbian regime of Slobodan Milošević in Kosovo, including genocidal acts, war crimes, and sexual violence committed during the war.
Likewise, it commits to seeking justice for the victims and condemning the lack of commitment by Serbian authorities to shed light on these crimes, establish responsibilities, and guarantee justice for those harmed.
In conclusion, the parliament declares that it will coordinate its actions with the Kosovo parliament. Simultaneously, it calls on both governments to coordinate their steps, with the aim of correcting this injustice through institutional channels.
