Altin Krasniqi has responded to British Ambassador to Kosovo Jonathan Hargreaves, who earlier posted that the convictions of former KLA leaders in The Hague concerned individual crimes.
In a comment, Krasniqi urged Hargreaves to verify the facts more carefully before making such public statements.
“How can one speak of individual responsibility when, as the summary of the judgment shows, the accused were not found responsible for individual acts as alleged, but were convicted because of their roles as political leaders of a military organization which, in cooperation with your country, helped liberate Kosovo?” Krasniqi asked.
Krasniqi, the son of Jakup Krasniqi, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison, also called on the British ambassador to verify the facts, arguing that statements of this nature do not serve either Hargreaves or the United Kingdom.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers’ judgment, however, states that all four accused were found criminally responsible for war crimes, including arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and murder. The Trial Panel also found that they contributed to a common criminal purpose targeting perceived opponents of the KLA’s political and military goals. At the same time, the court emphasized that the trial concerned the individual criminal responsibility of the four accused, not the legitimacy of the KLA or the goal of an independent Kosovo.
The court also found all four not guilty of crimes against humanity because the prosecution had not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that there was a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.
Krasniqi’s full response to Ambassador Hargreaves read:
“Dear Ambassador,
It would be greatly appreciated if the facts were verified more carefully before making such public statements.
How can one speak of individual responsibility when, as the summary of the judgment shows, the accused were not found responsible for individual acts as alleged, but were convicted because of their roles as political leaders of a military organization which, in cooperation with your country, helped liberate Kosovo?
The same judgment emphasizes that the objective of the accused and the KLA was Kosovo’s independence — an independence achieved precisely with the support of your country — and that violence was used against individuals who opposed that objective.
Ambassador, I respectfully urge you to verify the facts before making such public statements. Statements of this nature do not do justice either to you or to the country you represent, to which the people of Kosovo remain deeply grateful for its support.”
