Haki Imeri’s family after The Hague ruling: Do not listen to Richard Grenell

Following the ruling by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague concerning the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the family of slain activist Haki Imeri has issued a public response.

The family recalled that the court was established by the Kosovo Parliament and that its rulings were therefore something that should have been anticipated from the moment it was founded. The statement reads: “The Kosovo Parliament established it, and when you established it, you should have understood that this day would eventually come.”

Referring to the judgment announced in The Hague, the Imeri family wrote: “The Specialist Court has spoken. The Specialist Court has delivered its verdict.” It called for calm and for people to await the next stages of the judicial process.

The statement also rejected remarks made after the ruling by Richard Grenell, the former US envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. Citizens were urged not to place their trust in claims of political interference in the process.

“Do not believe Grenell’s ‘friends,’ because they cannot help anyone in this process,” the Imeri family’s statement said.

Criticism of Grenell was expressed even more directly in another part of the statement: “Do not listen to Richard Grenell, because he does nothing for Albanians; he only does things for Vučić.”

The family claims that Grenell’s positions and those of his supporters had fueled expectations that former President Hashim Thaçi would not be convicted because he would be saved through the intervention of US President Donald Trump and Grenell.

Continuing its criticism of his positions, the statement called for Grenell to be declared persona non grata in Kosovo. “Grenell must be declared ‘persona non grata’ in Kosovo,” it said.

In conclusion, Haki Imeri’s family called for the Court of Appeals’ ruling to be awaited patiently and without prejudice. “Wait patiently for the appeal and do not prejudge,” the statement emphasized, noting that the sentence could change during the appeals process, depending on the court’s decision.