Lawyers in Kosovo and the Kosovo Liberation Army Veterans’ Organization (OVL UÇK) do not believe that the authorities in North Macedonia will extradite former KLA soldier Blerim Ramadani to Serbia.
Ramadani was arrested by North Macedonian police on July 17, based on an arrest warrant issued by Serbia.
The following day, the Basic Court in Skopje ordered a 30-day extradition detention for him.
However, lawyer Arbër Jahari told KosovaPress that North Macedonia is aware that the persecution of former KLA soldiers by Serbia is based on fabricated dossiers.
He expressed confidence that the courts in Macedonia will not decide in favor of Ramadani’s extradition to Serbia.
Jahari: I Don’t Believe the Courts in Macedonia Will Decide in Favor of Ramadani’s Extradition to Serbia
“I do not believe that the courts in Macedonia, at any level, will decide to extradite him to Serbia. This is because I believe that the state of North Macedonia is very clear that the persecution Serbia is conducting against former KLA soldiers is politically motivated and based on fabricated dossiers. I do not believe Serbia has evidence to criminally prosecute any former KLA member. Simply, for them, he is a criminal only because he was a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and I do not believe there is convincing evidence in his dossier that he committed war crimes as Serbia claims,” he said.
He added that even if the court decides in favor of Ramadani’s extradition, no North Macedonian minister would sign such a decision.
Jahari: No Minister of Justice in Macedonia Would Sign the Decision to Extradite a Kosovo Citizen to Serbia
“Even if the judiciary, even if the courts, hypothetically ‘go mad’ and decide to return or extradite Kosovo citizen Blerim Ramadani to Serbia, it is the minister who makes the final decision. Knowing Macedonia, the relations Kosovo has with Macedonia, the circumstances there, the influence of the Albanian factor, and many other factors, I believe that no Minister of Justice in Macedonia would have the courage to sign the extradition of a Kosovo citizen to Serbia on charges of war crimes based on fabricated dossiers,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kosovo’s institutions are seeking his release.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in Skopje has engaged a team of legal experts to expedite the release of Blerim Ramadani and his return to his family.
They have announced that Kosovo’s institutions will use all diplomatic channels to secure the release of their citizen.
However, lawyer Jahari stated that Kosovo cannot request Ramadani’s extradition as there is no ongoing criminal case against him in Kosovo.
Jahari: Kosovo Cannot Request Ramadani’s Extradition Without an Ongoing Criminal Case Against Him
“What I can say is that Kosovo cannot request his extradition as long as there is no criminal case against him in Kosovo or any ongoing case. For extradition to be requested, he must be pursued by Kosovo authorities and declared wanted internationally. Without such a case, Kosovo has no legal basis to request his extradition,” Jahari stated.
Furthermore, the vice president of the Ferizaj branch of the KLA Veterans’ Organization, Luan Jahiri, in a written response, described the arrest of former KLA soldier Blerim Ramadani as concerning.
However, he expressed belief that Ramadani will be released and not extradited to Serbia.
“We, as OVL UÇK, from the first day, have found the arrest of Blerim very concerning. Despite initial belief in his release, due to the behavior of the prosecutor in Tetovo who was Albanian, we expected his release. However, the next day, the Court of Appeal in Macedonia took his case and set a 30-day detention. It is truly concerning, but we believe and hope that Blerim will be released and not extradited. I absolutely believe this due to various circumstances that might arise if the extradition happens,” said Jahiri.
On July 25, a mass protest titled “Freedom for the Liberator” was held in Ferizaj in support of their comrade from Ferizaj, Blerim Ramadani.
The protest was organized by the KLA Veterans’ Organization, Ferizaj branch, along with families of national martyrs, disabled veterans, KLA veterans, MPs, former senior KLA commanders, and citizens.
Blerim Ramadani was detained on July 17, 2024, at the Jazhincë border crossing, based on an arrest warrant issued by the Belgrade Court through INTERPOL Serbia, alleging war crimes in the summer of 1999 in the Nerodimë region.
