Shasivari calls for respect for the Special Court’s decision: Kosovo should face September 16 with maturity

North Macedonia’s Minister of Justice, Jeton Shasivari, has reacted to the court proceedings against former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, stressing that the expected decision on September 16 must be accepted and respected, regardless of the outcome.

In a statement titled “A message for Kosovo: Justice has no political side,” he underlined that only the court, relying on the law and evidence, can determine whether the defendants are guilty or innocent. According to him, politics, emotions and street reactions must not influence the judicial process.

Shasivari said that on September 16, the decision must be determined not by politics, emotions or protests, but by the court. He recalled that, whatever the decision, it must be respected, while the parties retain the right to appeal. At the center of the process, he said, should be all those who claim to have been victims of criminal offenses, regardless of ethnicity, whether they are Albanians, Serbs, Roma or members of other communities, as well as the rights of every defendant. He added that only the court can decide on the facts, responsibility and guilt by assessing the evidence and applying the law. Political statements cannot replace this assessment or predetermine guilt or innocence. He also stressed that a Kosovo aspiring to European standards must hear all victims and guarantee equal justice for everyone, while the country does not need political pressure on the justice system, but trust in it.

The Minister of Justice said that Kosovo should await the decision calmly, respect the judiciary and preserve the integrity of its institutions. He said institutional responsibility requires guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary, implementing court decisions and protecting, in accordance with the law, the rights of every victim and defendant.

According to Shasivari, Kosovo’s institutions must get through this period with responsibility, maturity and state composure. In a functioning democracy, he argued, the strength of the state is not demonstrated by how it reacts to a decision, but by its ability to respect the law and institutions even in the most difficult moments. His institutional message is for Kosovo to respect the court and its decision, and to protect the integrity of its institutions, because justice does not belong to a party, government or individual, but to the state and all its citizens. For him, this is the European standard.