On the sixth anniversary of the arrests of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders, organizations formed after the KLA war will hold a symbolic event on Thursday outside the European Union office in Pristina. They aim to express solidarity with the former leaders and dissatisfaction with the judicial proceedings in The Hague.
Gazmend Syla, deputy chairman of the KLA War Veterans Organization, told a press conference that the event is scheduled for 12:00. He said representatives of three organizations — representing veterans, disabled veterans and the families of fallen fighters — will publicly convey their views and concerns about the proceedings.
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Syla said they had also asked the Association of Kosovo Municipalities to invite mayors and municipal administrations to gather outside their municipal buildings at the same time to show solidarity and dissatisfaction. He said solidarity with the former KLA leaders and the call for a fair trial are tied to historical memory and citizens’ trust in justice.
Speaking about the return of the law on the Specialist Chambers, Syla called the move highly unacceptable. He said the law’s return had, in a way, undermined the cause on which the vote for it had been based. According to Syla, the organization is deeply disappointed and expects members of the Assembly of Kosovo to reflect and decide how to proceed.
Syla said he was convinced that any law introduced afterward would be weaker than the one returned. He said responsibility for the next steps rests with Kosovo’s institutions, particularly the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, and reiterated the organization’s dissatisfaction with what had happened.
As for the second case in The Hague, scheduled for November 17, the KLA War Veterans Organization does not expect a fair sentence and says it no longer trusts the Specialist Court. Syla said the organization has opposed the court from the beginning and continues to do so. In his view, the fact that Dick Marty’s report was no longer mentioned in the indictment shows that the court has departed from its mission. He said he does not expect justice from it and that the organization is prepared for the possibility of another sentence.
The former KLA leaders have been sentenced at first instance to 81 years in prison by the Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
