Tomë Gashi reacts harshly to the return of Serbian prosecutors and police: Has someone gone mad?

Lawyer Tomë Gashi has expressed strong opposition to the idea of reinstating Serbian officials who withdrew from their duties in Kosovo institutions during 2022.

According to him, the departure of around 600 police officers and a number of judges and prosecutors from the Serb community was not voluntary, but dictated by official Belgrade with the aim of undermining Kosovo’s state structures.

Gashi has called unacceptable the voices supporting their return after so many years, arguing that abandoning one’s job cannot be rewarded with reinstatement, as this essentially strikes at the principles of a rule-of-law state.

In a lengthy post, he used a harsh tone to ask the public: “Are you crazy, or what?”

He recalled that the wave of resignations came as a result of Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s decision to implement the measure of reciprocity on vehicle license plates. According to Gashi, this action by Kurti, which prohibited the entry of cars with plates bearing symbols of Serbia, was an act of defending sovereignty, something previous leaders had not done.

The lawyer emphasizes that four years after the resignations, the same individuals, along with some judges and prosecutors, now seek to return to work. Gashi underscores that this new move, also orchestrated according to him by Serbia, aims to further weaken the Republic of Kosovo, which they do not respect.

He concluded his reaction by harshly attacking those who promote such a thing, comparing them to a prosecution witness in The Hague in the trial against former president Thaçi, and raising the rhetorical question of how someone who misses work for four days loses their right, let alone those who abandoned their duty for four years.