The verdict issued by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague against former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi was also opposed in Drenas.
The protest was organized by organizations representing KLA war veterans, while participants called for justice and expressed their support for the former KLA leaders. The slogan “Not in My Name!” was also repeated during the protest.
Enver Hajdari, head of the war veterans’ organizations in Drenas, said they disagreed with the sentences handed down against the four former KLA leaders.
“We are here because we disagree with the sentence handed down by The Hague against four key figures of our war and history — Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. But today we say clearly: this is not the final word of history. We are deeply concerned about the way our war is being treated, based on alleged evidence that is unfounded and has no effect,” Hajdari said.
The protest was also attended by Drenas Mayor Ramiz Lladrovci, who said that support for the former KLA leaders should be expressed peacefully and democratically.
“At the invitation of the organizations representing the veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army, we are here at this protest against the verdict in The Hague. We are here together to support our heroes of war and peace, who sacrificed for Kosovo’s freedom — Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. Our support is expressed with dignity, calmly and democratically,” Lladrovci said.
He also referred to massacres and mass graves in several locations across Drenas, saying they bear witness to the municipality’s direct experience during the war.
Among the speakers was also Altin Krasniqi, the son of Jakup Krasniqi. He called on citizens, in his words, not to remain silent about the KLA war and urged Kosovo’s Albanian political parties to unite around the issue.
“Those who once defended us now need us not to remain silent, by defending the just war of the KLA. We are not only defending the past, but also the future of our state, the memory of generations and our right to tell history as it truly was,” Krasniqi said.
He added that, in his view, the KLA issue should transcend political divisions.
“Today, we must put all political differences aside. All Albanian parties must unite around an issue that is greater than any individual party, greater than any individual,” he said.
Representatives of the Deliu and Muçolli families, whose members were killed during the war, also spoke at the protest.
Imer Deliu opposed the verdict, saying that, in his view, it affects not only the former KLA leaders but also the way Kosovo’s wartime history is treated.
“This is a decision that we all oppose, and we say: ‘Not in My Name!’ The Specialist Court’s decision does not punish only members of the General Staff and the KLA leadership, but also punishes our history. It stains the blood shed for freedom the blood of children, mothers, sisters and generations,” Deliu said.
Skender Muçolli expressed the same call, urging unity beyond political and individual differences.
“Justice for the victims of the war, efforts to establish the truth about the war, and preserving that truth for future generations are issues that require us to overcome individual boundaries and unite all forces and energies in one direction: defending the national interest,” Muçolli said.
The protest in Drenas was part of a series of gatherings organized by KLA veterans’ organizations in cities across Kosovo following the verdict of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague against the former KLA leaders.
