Analyst warns: Call to dissolve The Hague court could harm Kosovo

Lavdrim Lita, appearing this Sunday on Greta Topjana’s “Review” program on Euronews Albania, commented on protesters’ calls to dissolve The Hague court following the sentencing of four former KLA leaders to a combined 81 years in prison. The analyst said he knew of no case in which a court had been dissolved simply because its ruling was not accepted, warning that such a move would pose a risk to Kosovo.

According to him, provocations by agents provocateurs or other individuals can occur frequently. In the age of technology, information and smartphones, an incident can take on far greater proportions than it actually warrants, so the situation must be handled prudently.

Lita said the priority for the political parties, the government and Prime Minister Kurti should be to normalize institutional life in Kosovo. He stressed the need to work with the opposition to create the conditions for a cross-party agreement on the election of the president and the functioning of the institutions.

He said the damage had already been done, as the court’s ruling had affected Kosovo and its political leadership, portraying them internationally in a highly negative light. However, according to Lita, this damage can be kept under control and limited, while allowing it to turn into a tragedy would be extremely dangerous. For this reason, he called on Kosovo’s political leaders to exercise restraint.

The analyst recalled that Thaçi and many others had accepted the judicial process. He also mentioned Haradinaj and others who had voted for and agreed to stand trial, retained lawyers, answered questions and presented their counter-evidence. According to him, the legal process must be followed through to the end, including the right to appeal.

“Changing the rules in the middle of the game would not be a wise choice for Kosovo. To the best of my knowledge, no country has ever dissolved a court simply because its ruling was unpopular. Such a demand is extremely dangerous,” Lita said.