November 4 and 5 marked five years since the arrest of former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, who are facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Special Court in The Hague. This trial began in April 2023 and is currently continuing the testimony of witnesses called by the defense, while witnesses called by the prosecution completed their testimony in April of this year.
Organizations emerging from the Kosovo Liberation Army war have declared that they will not surrender in the face of this historical injustice.
“Five years of injustice, five years that the heroes of freedom have been kept away from their families and the country they fought for. We do not forget and we do not surrender in the face of this historical injustice,” their statement said.
Hashim Thaçi resigned as president of Kosovo on November 5 after the pre-trial judge at the Specialist Chambers informed him that he had confirmed the indictment against him and three of his former comrades. He pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
A new indictment for obstruction of justice has been filed against Thaçi, and he is being tried together with Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj, Fadil Fazliu and Hajredin Kuçi. Thaçi has also pleaded not guilty to this indictment.
Similar to Thaçi, former Speaker of the Parliament, Kadri Veseli, announced on November 5, 2020, that he had made all necessary arrangements to voluntarily travel to The Hague, after being notified of the indictment confirmed against him by the Specialist Chambers. Veseli also pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Meanwhile, former Speaker of the Parliament, Jakup Krasniqi, has been in the detention center in The Hague since November 4, 2020. He appeared before the Specialist Chambers on November 9 and pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
Rexhep Selimi, a former MP from the Vetëvendosje Movement, also announced on November 4 that he had received confirmation of the indictment and was heading to The Hague. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
During this year, two protests were held in Pristina for the release of former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, who considered this an “unfair process”.
Meanwhile, three weeks ago, a protest was also held in Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, and a similar protest has been announced to be held in North Macedonia. Thousands of citizens participated in these protests, demanding the release of Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selim.
Likewise, the protection of the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army has also faced great financial and logistical difficulties. During these five years, one of the main challenges has been the insufficient budget for their protection.
However, the Ministry of Justice in Kosovo had announced that, since the beginning of the trial against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army at the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, from 2020 until July of this year, approximately 33 million euros have been paid.
The indictment against the former KLA superiors was filed on October 26, 2020. It holds Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi, and Selimi responsible for a series of crimes allegedly committed in several detention centers during 1998-1999.