Kurti: Government would help more if there were a single defense team for former KLA leaders

Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has promised that the executive will stand by the legal teams of the four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the appeals process at the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, following the first-instance verdict that sentenced them to 81 years in prison.

During a meeting in the United States, an Albanian student asked the head of government about the planned approach. Kurti replied that state engagement would be greater if there were a joint legal front for all four defendants.

“The Government of Kosovo could have contributed more if we had a single team for the four KLA leaders. However, this did not materialize,” he stated, according to a recording distributed by VOX Kosova.

He explained that each of the former commanders chose their own defense, resulting in four separate working groups. “For the government, it becomes much more complicated to get involved when you are faced with four different defense strategies,” Kurti added.

The head of government also recalled his personal case, remembering that he himself refused to recognize the authority of the courts of Serbia and UNMIK when he faced them. But he stressed that the lawyers of the former KLA leaders had a completely different perspective.

“You know me. I did not accept the legitimacy of the Serbian court or UNMIK in my process,” the prime minister said. “Whereas the defenders of the four KLA leaders had a different approach. They believed that close cooperation with the Specialist Chambers would bring a favorable outcome.”

Student Anisë Murseli, who raised the issue, cited the example of Croatia and the Croatian state’s efforts to assist its former military leaders on legal paths. She recalled that in 2011, after General Ante Gotovina received a 24-year sentence, official Zagreb undertook a series of concrete actions before the appeal phase.

She listed the measures taken by Croatia: increasing financial assistance for defense teams, addressing the problem of lawyers withdrawing due to insufficient funds, conducting in-depth research on the verdict, and engaging the state itself as a friend of the court to offer direct evidence and testimony. She also mentioned the establishment of mechanisms to verify the authenticity of evidence.

“These are all actions that we too can take. It seems there is a path that can be followed. What concrete steps are you now taking?” the student asked, adding that four days had passed since the verdict and that the situation in the country was highly tense, with protests in Pristina. She reminded Kurti that his position as prime minister extends beyond the party and that the people are deeply concerned about this issue that touches history and the KLA.