A group of former Kosovo Liberation Army members held a protest this afternoon in front of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, demanding what they described as “justice” for former KLA leaders who have been held in The Hague for the past five years.
The demonstration began at exactly 13:00, as previously announced.
The area outside the Council of Europe building was marked by chants of “UÇK,” alongside Albanian and KLA flags, and the presence of a number of former KLA fighters.
According to organizers, protesters submitted 285 letters addressed to each member of the Parliamentary Assembly.
“Another protest against injustice was held today in Strasbourg, France. During this protest, 285 letters were delivered to the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, expressing our concerns about the proceedings before the Specialist Court.
The OVL UÇK continues its engagement for justice and respect for the rights of freedom fighters,” the organization stated in a press release.
Fourth protest since August
Today’s gathering marks the fourth protest organized by former KLA members since August.
The first was held on 7 August in Pristina, followed by a mass demonstration in Tirana nearly a month later, attended by thousands of Albanians from Kosovo, the region and the diaspora. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama supported the Tirana protest with a public message on social media, stating: “Freedom has a name.”
Most recently, on 5 November, former KLA members protested in front of the EULEX office in Kosovo on the fifth anniversary of the arrest of former KLA leaders.
The charges
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi have been in detention in The Hague since November 2020. They are being tried before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Kosovo and Albania in the late 1990s.
The indictment accuses them of responsibility for the killing of around 100 people. All four have pleaded not guilty.
Since September, defense witnesses have begun testifying — a phase that has drawn considerable attention in Albanian-language media and has prompted strong reactions among parts of the Albanian public. More than 300 prosecution witnesses were heard earlier in the trial.
Thaçi (56), Veseli (57), Selimi (53) and Krasniqi (74) face a ten-count indictment, charging them with persecution on political and ethnic grounds, imprisonment, unlawful arrest and detention, other inhumane acts, cruel treatment, enforced disappearance, torture (two counts) and murder (two counts).
According to the indictment, these crimes were committed against Albanians labelled “collaborators,” as well as against Serbs and Roma, in 42 illegal KLA detention facilities in Kosovo and Albania. Approximately 407 detainees were subjected to abuse, and at least 102 were killed between March 1998 and September 1999. The indictment identifies 75 victims: 51 Serbs, 23 Albanians and one Roma. Six counts relate to crimes against humanity, and four to war crimes.
Despite the charges, many Albanians argue that the court is biased, claiming it prosecutes only former KLA members while “crimes committed by Serbian forces” remain “unpunished.”
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
