PDK challenges British ambassador’s statement: The Hague verdict cannot be reduced to “individual crimes

The Democratic Party of Kosovo has described as unacceptable the position of the British ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, who stated that The Hague verdict against former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders and founders of the Republic of Kosovo concerns “individual crimes.” According to the PDK, such diplomatic wording diminishes the historical and political significance of the decision for Kosovo’s past, present and future.

In the party’s official response, it said that the Specialist Chambers had addressed the KLA within the framework of the concept of a “joint criminal enterprise.” It also said that Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi had been found responsible for their contribution to what the verdict describes as the KLA’s common criminal objective.

The PDK recalled that the same individuals were among NATO’s main collaborators during the bombing of Serbian targets in 1999.

According to the party, defining the matter solely as “individual crimes” fails to reflect the damage and significance that, in its assessment, this verdict has for Kosovo.

The PDK stated that no diplomatic wording can change the content of the verdict, which it considers unacceptable, or its consequences for the interpretation of the KLA’s war and Kosovo’s history.

The response also said that international justice in Kosovo is unfortunately being perceived as a political instrument through which it is determined which political figures should be removed from the scene and which should be supported. According to the PDK, the Specialist Chambers constitute the clearest example of political abuse in the name of justice.

The party said that Kosovo appreciates Britain’s historic role in its liberation and the consolidation of the state, but stressed that criticism of the functioning of the Specialist Chambers has also been raised by British experts and human rights organizations. In this context, it mentioned the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, which has expressed serious concerns about the standards of the proceedings and the way the Specialist Chambers operate.

The PDK called on the states that support and finance this institution, particularly Britain, not to ignore these concerns.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo said it would oppose any interpretation that, in its view, distorts the historical truth of the war in Kosovo. It stressed that it would do so through every democratic, political and legal means, in institutions and in every democratic space where the voice of Kosovo’s citizens can be heard, just as it is being heard now around the world.

“We will not allow Kosovo’s history to be rewritten. Kosovo’s future will be determined by its own citizens,” the PDK’s response concluded.