Lavdie Gradica, the daughter of Dr. Lec Gradica, a doctor killed during the war, was one of the speakers at a protest held in Pristina’s main square under the slogan “Not in my name.” The gathering was organized against the verdict of the Specialist Chambers against former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
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During her speech, Gradica highlighted her father’s role during the war, when he worked as a doctor treating the wounded. She also spoke about her parents’ contribution during 1998 and the establishment of the Gradica Military Hospital, where many wounded people were treated.
“The pride I feel as I speak to you about the most glorious chapter of our history is accompanied by great pain, because even so many years after the glorious war of the KLA, we still have to convince others that the sons and daughters of this land, who took up arms to defend the country and our lives and to bring freedom, are innocent,” she said.
She emphasized that Lec Gradica answered the call to serve his country during the war, describing his commitment as both a humanitarian and patriotic mission.
Gradica recounted that in the spring of 1998, her parents stayed in Gradica, where they provided medical services to KLA members and residents of the area.
“My father served as a doctor during the war. He was there to save the wounded, help people and serve his own people. Like many people who loved freedom, and as a dedicated doctor, he too answered the call of his homeland from the underground, without fear,” she said.
According to her, the rising number of wounded people and the growing needs prompted her father to establish the Gradica Military Hospital.
“When he saw that the demands were increasing every day, my father took responsibility for establishing the Gradica Military Hospital, the place where many wounds from the war for freedom were treated,” Gradica declared.
She said that Lec Gradica continued his service in the Qyqavica mountains until September 24, 1998, when he was killed in the war.
In her speech, Gradica also remembered her mother and her family’s pain, as they lost two relatives during the war.
“I grew up with the absence and pain of a family that had lost its father. But at the same time, I grew up with the pride that he chose to remain precisely where Kosovo needed him most,” she said.
Speaking about the verdict handed down in The Hague against former KLA leaders, she declared that the families of the martyrs and their supporters would not accept the history of the war being changed or presented in a distorted manner.
“The fact that people who are part of the history of the KLA war have been convicted in The Hague makes it clear to us that we will not allow this verdict to be legitimized or our history to be rewritten or distorted. We respect justice, but justice must be equal and fair,” she said.
Gradica also addressed the former KLA leaders who are in The Hague, conveying the message that their support remains strong.
“From this square, I want to tell those who are in The Hague today that they are not alone. Alongside them are the families of those who fell, the children who grew up without parents, thousands of people and the entire freedom-loving people, who remember the KLA war and the centuries-old sacrifice,” Gradica declared.
In closing, she emphasized that the families of the martyrs and the protesters were not seeking privileged treatment or revenge, but only justice.
“We are not seeking privileges or revenge. Our demand is justice. We seek it in the name of the martyrs, for our families and for you who are awaiting justice in The Hague today. Justice for the liberators! Glory to all those who gave their lives for their homeland!” she concluded.
