Jehona Lushaku-Sadriu, head of the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic League of Kosovo, has described the return of the law on the Specialist Chambers to the Assembly as weak and a sign of political immaturity. She called for a national strategy to support former KLA leaders and said the LDK would use all opposition tools against the Kurti government, including protests.
In an interview with the program “Interview of the Week” on kp, Lushaku-Sadriu criticized the PDK for asking President Justina Shiroka-Pula to return the law to the Assembly. According to her, this step demonstrates a lack of continuity in political decision-making.
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She argued that a full legal and political assessment is needed before a law is put forward. Since the law had been approved in two readings, returning it to the starting point means that the discussion will be reopened and each article reconsidered.
Lushaku-Sadriu described this as a weak action by the PDK: when a party advances a law, she said, it should be convinced that it is the right solution. Returning it after several days, at an advanced stage, takes the process back to the beginning and, according to her, shows political immaturity.
She added that the action also had an impact because of its connection to the protests, the security issues that were raised and the atmosphere created during those days. Lushaku-Sadriu said she understood citizens’ sensitivity regarding the Hague process, but stressed that political parties have a responsibility to address the issue professionally and seriously, protecting the state and contributing to the relevant processes. According to her, a careful assessment of public opinion and management of citizens’ reactions and feelings are also necessary.
Regarding the LDK’s position on returning the law, she said that the defense of former KLA leaders should rely primarily on judicial and legal avenues, particularly appeal proceedings.
According to Lushaku-Sadriu, using a simple law as an instrument of intervention could have long-term consequences for Kosovo. She recalled that the country had undertaken international obligations through agreements and amended its Constitution to establish the Specialist Chambers, so every step must be carefully weighed.
Lushaku-Sadriu said that the LDK had believed the liberation war and the recent cases in The Hague should be defended through appeals, using legal instruments and presenting as many facts as possible, with the aim of achieving the best possible result, including regarding the length of the sentence. She reiterated that the state should provide institutional support to former KLA leaders.
She warned that such a law could harm Kosovo in the future. According to her, the submission of the law by its initiator and its support in the Assembly could have consequences, as she had also explained in her speech. Lushaku-Sadriu said the party’s aim was not to endanger the country and that Kosovo must preserve its statehood, democratic principles and position by avoiding hasty actions.
She said that the LDK had still not received an official invitation to the meeting of the working group expected to draft the strategy for supporting former KLA leaders. Although representatives of the political entities had been appointed, she said, the group had not met and had not received an official invitation to begin its work.
Lushaku-Sadriu said the strategy would help coordinate institutions, enrich the factual record for appeal proceedings and manage Kosovo’s image, depending on the decisions that might be made in The Hague.
She said that, despite repeated calls for political entities to focus their efforts on drafting a national strategy rather than only on a single law, the LDK had still not received an invitation. According to her, the government had not convened the group and had not begun establishing it, although the representatives had been appointed.
Lushaku-Sadriu expects the work to begin as soon as possible in the coming days. She said the strategy should have been completed by now and that its absence made it essential to organize the group quickly and work intensively to support the relevant processes.
According to her, Kosovo must emerge as well as possible from any decision that may be made in The Hague. The strategy, she added, could help manage the country’s image, but also increase the factual record for the appeal, so that the process could serve the uncovering of the truth and justice. The LDK, she said, supports a strategy and institutional backing for this process.
Commenting on the election of President Justina Shiroka-Pula, Lushaku-Sadriu said that the LDK had been politically sidelined, as Bekim Sejdiu, the candidate proposed by Lumir Abdixhiku’s party, was not elected president.
She said the president must fulfill her constitutional duties and powers, represent all citizens and act independently of the political parties.
Lushaku-Sadriu linked the LDK’s political sidelining to the fact that the current president was elected without the party’s votes. Nevertheless, she said, the LDK had acted responsibly, taking part in dialogue from the beginning and presenting its alternatives, with the aim of establishing institutions and avoiding elections, which was also a demand of the citizens.
She expects Shiroka-Pula to respect her constitutional responsibilities, represent all citizens and work toward unity. Lushaku-Sadriu stressed that the president should maintain an independent stance toward the parties, regardless of who supported her and what positions they had held. She recalled that the president has state responsibilities and leads several particularly sensitive areas, expressing hope that she will be a unifying figure and be remembered for her independence in office, as well as bringing pride to Kosovo.
Regarding the LDK’s role in opposition, Lushaku-Sadriu said the party would demand accountability from the Kurti government using all the tools at its disposal. She mentioned parliamentary questions, interpellations and committee work as ways to exercise oversight and, in her view, highlight the government’s mistakes.
She said the LDK would also assess how the government responds to the opposition’s criticism. If this produced no results, she added, the party could use other forms of political opposition and did not rule out the possibility of protests.
Lushaku-Sadriu said the opposition would be active and demand accountability through parliamentary committees, questions, interpellations and other available tools. She said she expected the government to have many mistakes and issues to address, based on its experience in government during the last 60.
She added that the votes would serve to show the political moment and assess how seriously the government takes the opposition’s criticism. If no result was seen, Lushaku-Sadriu said, the LDK would use all its tools, as this is the duty of the opposition.
