The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has expressed strong opposition and disappointment over the Hague verdict against former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi.
In a statement, the party said the judgment represented a serious blow to what it described as the rights of the people of Kosovo, who fought for freedom and liberation from Serbian rule.
PDK described the verdict as a “great injustice”, arguing that it was based on claims and materials the party considers fabricated and influenced over the years by what it called Serbia’s state apparatus and propaganda.
“The verdict may have been written in The Hague. But Kosovo’s history was written here — through sacrifice, blood and a struggle for freedom. And it will not be rewritten today,” the statement said.
The party said Serbia was the aggressor during the Kosovo war and described the KLA as the response of a population seeking to live freely.
According to PDK, Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi did not go to The Hague to evade justice, but voluntarily faced the proceedings with the belief that the truth would ultimately prevail.
PDK said the judgment was a serious blow to the KLA’s war, Kosovo’s independence and the country’s statehood, adding that many citizens had been left hurt and disappointed by what it called an unjust verdict.
The party said it would challenge the judgment through legal arguments and democratic means, including through every forum where it believes the historical record of Kosovo’s war should be defended.
“For us, the KLA’s war was just, defensive and a war of liberation,” PDK said.
The party also insisted that a judicial decision could not erase the role of the four men from Kosovo’s history.
“This verdict is not the final word. We will fight for justice until the end, and we will never remain silent about the truth,” the statement concluded.
PDK said the battle would continue through the appeals process and pledged to stand behind the four former KLA leaders until their release.
