Verdict on KLA leaders to be watched on big screen in “Skënderbeu” square

Prishtina is preparing for September 16, the day the Special Court in The Hague is expected to announce the verdict for Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. KLA flags and symbols have been placed in the capital’s squares and public spaces, while the Municipality of Prishtina has announced that the session will be broadcast live in an open-air setting, in “Skënderbeu” square.

As the decision date approaches, the center of Prishtina has taken on a special look. In addition to placing KLA symbols in various parts of the city, preparations have begun in the main square for activities that will take place during the verdict announcement.

On the big screen, the countdown brings citizens closer to the moment of the decision expected to be handed down in the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. In Prishtina and in the courtroom in The Hague, the anticipation is tied to the verdict for the four former KLA leaders, while in the capital, preparations are also being made for their possible return.

Deputy Mayor of Prishtina, Besiana Musmurati, stated that the session will be watched together with citizens and organizations that emerged from the war.

“We will organize it with a very large screen where we will invite all citizens to watch the session together with organizations that emerged from the war, and together we hope to celebrate after the decision on the 16th,” said Musmurati.

The decision is also being awaited with concern at the KLA War Veterans Organization. Its representatives demand that the trial be based on evidence and facts, without political influence.

Deputy head of OVL-KLA, Gazmend Syla, said that the organization has considered the Special Court unjust since its establishment and that, according to him, it has strayed from its initial mission.

“As OVL-KLA, to tell you the truth, we are anxiously awaiting these days until the 16th. We have said throughout that this court is unjust, ever since it was established, and then we saw that this court has deviated from the mission for which it was founded. You know that this court was established based on the Dick Marty report, and then this report is no longer mentioned at all since the judicial process began. We freely say that if this court will refer to the basis of evidence and facts, we are convinced that our fellow fighters will be in their homes on September 16,” Syla said.

The wait for the verdict has also begun outside Prishtina. In several municipalities of Kosovo, the “Waiting Clock” has been set up, counting down until the verdict is announced in The Hague.