The Hague decision on former KLA leaders, KASH expresses disappointment and questions over the process

The Council of Albanian Ambassadors (KASH) said it is “deeply disappointed” by the verdict of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague against four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), while raising serious concerns about the way the judicial process has been conducted.

The organization underlines that it recognizes and respects the rule of law, the independence of judicial bodies, and the right of victims to seek justice. However, according to KASH, questions arise regarding the length of the process, the multi-year pretrial detention of the accused, the severity of the sentences, and the standards followed during the trial.

The Council also recalls the historical circumstances of the war in Kosovo, describing the KLA’s effort as a liberation struggle against the repression, ethnic cleansing, and violence of Slobodan Milošević’s regime. The statement highlights that NATO intervention ended the humanitarian crisis, during which around one million Kosovo Albanians were forced to leave their homes.

KASH notes that the verdict made public in The Hague belongs to the first instance and that the appeals procedure has not yet been concluded.

“The decision concerning the four former KLA leaders does not and cannot be presented as a punishment of the people of Kosovo, the Kosovo Liberation Army, or its fight for freedom and independence,” is the position conveyed in the statement.

KASH asks Kosovo’s international partners to maintain what it calls a balanced approach. The Council stresses that respect for the judicial process should not be accompanied by the relativization of crimes committed in Kosovo by Serbian forces.

At the same time, the organization demands that during the appeal, the evidence, legal conclusions, determination of responsibility, and proportionality of the sentences be analyzed impartially.

In closing the response, KASH expresses solidarity with the citizens of Kosovo and the families of the convicted, while appealing for calm, unity, and trust in legal remedies.

According to the first-instance verdict, Hashim Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi were each sentenced to 25 years in prison. Kadri Veseli was sentenced to 18 years, and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years in prison.