PRISTINA – Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the verdict against four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army for war crimes was “an unacceptable injustice and a severe punishment”.
“The verdict may have been formally declared on behalf of the people of Kosovo, but this empty phrase should not be confused with the will of the people. This verdict must certainly be amended and corrected at the appellate level as soon as possible. In these difficult moments, we stand with the families of former KLA leaders and all comrades in the struggle for liberation”, Kurti said in a message on Facebook.
He stressed that today’s ruling by the Specialized Chambers rejected “the most serious remaining charge in the indictment: that the KLA carried out a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population”.
According to Kurti, the trial was not a trial of the legitimacy or purity of the KLA war”, but that the convictions relate to” certain charges of war crimes, including the torture of persons who were considered collaborators of the Serbian regime”.
These are unfair findings, but they are not final and will be subject to review in the appeal process”, Kurti said, stressing that the Government will continue, with all available means, to support the defendants in the appeal process, where they expect “a complete correction of the injustice”.
Similarly, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called the verdict “shameful”, and Albanian President Bajram Begaj expressed “deep sadness”, saying that “for Albanians, no one and nothing can tarnish the KLA”.
