Dacic: The Hague ruling on former KLA leaders reinforces Serbia’s stance

Serbia reacted to the decision of the Specialist Chambers in The Hague through Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, who considered the judgment as evidence in favor of Serbian claims about the KLA.

Dacic stated that the decision against Hashim Thaci, Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi showed, according to him, that the KLA was a criminal and terrorist organization, while its senior political and military leaders bore responsibility for crimes committed during the war in Kosovo.

This stance was expressed even though the four accused were tried by the Specialist Chambers on the basis of their individual criminal responsibility.

They were found guilty of war crimes, while they were acquitted of charges related to crimes against humanity.

The Serbian deputy prime minister particularly opposed the dismissal of charges for crimes against humanity, describing this development as a “political maneuver”. He also claimed that the decision downplays the suffering of Serbian victims.

According to Dacic, the sentences imposed do not constitute a sufficient measure of justice for the families of the victims.