Çitaku challenges British ambassador’s statement on the Specialist Court’s decision in The Hague

The secretary-general of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Çitaku, has reacted to statements by the British ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, regarding the Specialist Court’s decision in The Hague.

She rejected the assessment that the sentences are related to “individual crimes against different communities,” arguing that, in her view, the case involves a much broader issue.

Çitaku pointed out that the claim concerning the existence of a “joint criminal enterprise” was also examined during the court proceedings in The Hague. According to her, this element constitutes the core and significance of the decision.

“Clearly, the respected ambassador has neither read the indictment, followed the proceedings, nor heard the court’s ruling,” Çitaku wrote.

“Because this is not about convictions for individual offenses. The KLA has been described as a joint criminal enterprise. That is the essence. That is the weight of this decision. And you cannot cover this up with a diplomatic sentence,” she continued.

Çitaku then criticized the way in which the decision could be presented and interpreted in the political debate.

“Don’t pull the wool over our eyes. You can accept this decision. You can relativize it. You can reduce it to four names and move on, as if nothing had happened,” she said.

She stressed that she would not accept the KLA’s war being defined through language that, in her view, places it on the same level as criminality.

“But we will not. We will not remain silent while our war for freedom is described in the language of criminality. We will not accept our history being rewritten for anyone’s political convenience. No. Not in my name,” Çitaku said.