Osmani: Jashari and Rugova belong to a shared history that no one can claim as their own

Vjosa Osmani, a member of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and former president of Kosovo, has weighed in on discussions about the law on protecting the values of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) war. She said the KLA represents national pride and must not be turned into a tool for political lynching.

In her statement, Osmani opposed what she sees as an attempt to monopolize the history of the liberation war. She said the war deserves everlasting honor because the KLA embodied the blood-soaked oath of a people who sacrificed everything in the name of freedom.

Referring to Kosovo’s historical figures, she singled out KLA commander Adem Jashari and former president Ibrahim Rugova. Osmani described the history uniting Jashari, as KLA commander, and Rugova, as supreme commander of the liberation war, as Kosovo’s greatest source of pride, stressing that both served the ideal of Kosovo’s freedom, each by his own path.

For Osmani, honoring and defending the liberation war is not the same as trying to make it political property. She stressed that this history is shared and sacred, and that no one has the right to claim it as their own.

On political clashes, Osmani said that neither crowd applause nor the severity of attacks determines whether a political position is right. She also claimed that the law’s return left propaganda without arguments.

According to her, political lynching against the LDK has been used to conceal the truth. She described the political force as the party that laid the foundations of freedom, independence and democracy in Kosovo.

She also rejected equating the LDK with the Serbian List, as well as claims that her party fuels hatred toward the KLA. In this context, Osmani said Ibrahim Rugova’s party had been placed on the same level as the Serbian List, which she described as a criminal group that committed aggression against Kosovo, while the LDK had also been accused of hating the KLA.

Vjosa Osmani, a member of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and former president of Kosovo, has weighed in on discussions about the law on protecting the values of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) war. She said the KLA represents national pride and must not be turned into a tool for political lynching.

In her statement, Osmani opposed what she sees as an attempt to monopolize the history of the liberation war. She said the war deserves everlasting honor because the KLA embodied the blood-soaked oath of a people who sacrificed everything in the name of freedom.

Referring to Kosovo’s historical figures, she singled out KLA commander Adem Jashari and former president Ibrahim Rugova. Osmani described the history uniting Jashari, as KLA commander, and Rugova, as supreme commander of the liberation war, as Kosovo’s greatest source of pride, stressing that both served the ideal of Kosovo’s freedom, each by his own path.

For Osmani, honoring and defending the liberation war is not the same as trying to make it political property. She stressed that this history is shared and sacred, and that no one has the right to claim it as their own.

On political clashes, Osmani said that neither crowd applause nor the severity of attacks determines whether a political position is right. She also claimed that the law’s return left propaganda without arguments.

According to her, political lynching against the LDK has been used to conceal the truth. She described the political force as the party that laid the foundations of freedom, independence and democracy in Kosovo.

She also rejected equating the LDK with the Serbian List, as well as claims that her party fuels hatred toward the KLA. In this context, Osmani said Ibrahim Rugova’s party had been placed on the same level as the Serbian List, which she described as a criminal group that committed aggression against Kosovo, while the LDK had also been accused of hating the KLA.