Kurti: with a joint legal team, state engagement for the four former KLA leaders would be stronger

Prime Minister Albin Kurti pledged that the Government of Kosovo will stand by the defense lawyers of the four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the appeal process at the Hague Special Court. This commitment comes after the first-instance verdict, which sentenced them to a total of 81 years in prison.

During a visit to the United States, an Albanian student asked him about the strategy the government would follow. In response, Kurti assessed that state intervention would have been more substantial if the four defendants had had a single defense team.

“The state of Kosovo could have done more if there had been a joint legal team for the four KLA leaders. But that did not happen,” he stated in a recording distributed by VOX Kosova.

Furthermore, the prime minister explained that each of the former leaders chose their own lawyer and team, creating four separate groups. “This significantly complicates the Government’s engagement, because you have to coordinate with four different parties,” Kurti added.

Referring to his own experience, Kurti recalled that he had not recognized the jurisdiction of the Serbian court when he faced justice, while the lawyers of the four KLA defendants had taken a different stance. “You know me well. I refused the court of Serbia and UNMIK during my trial,” he said, emphasizing that “the defense lawyers of the four leaders believed that close cooperation with the Specialist Chambers would produce a positive outcome.”

The student, identified as Anisa Murseli, brought up the case of Croatia as a model of state engagement in defending former military commanders. She noted that in 2011, after General Ante Gotovina was sentenced to 24 years in prison, the Croatian government significantly increased financial and legal support for his team, avoiding the problems that Kosovo is experiencing.

“You talked about strategy, not emotional reaction. We have a clear example: Croatia in 2011. From General Gotovina’s sentencing until the appeal, the Croatian government mobilized strongly. It increased funds – something we lacked, as many lawyers withdrew precisely due to lack of funding. It also carried out academic research on the judgment, the government itself appeared as a friend of the court (amicus curiae) and provided direct evidence, and set up mechanisms to verify the authenticity of evidence. All these are steps that we too can examine and take. However, what concrete actions are you taking now?” she asked.

Murseli also stressed that only four days had passed since the verdict and the country was already experiencing a crisis, with protests in Pristina. “This issue is essential to our history and to the KLA. You are not just the prime minister of a party, but of the entire country, and your people are extremely concerned by this situation,” the student concluded.