Hundreds of citizens from across Kosovo, the region, and the diaspora gathered today in the center of Pristina to protest what they call the injustices of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague and to show support for the former KLA leaders currently held in detention.
The protest, taking place at “Skanderbeg” Square, was organized by associations stemming from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) war. A special emphasis was placed on the effort to defend the dignity of the liberation war and to oppose what is seen as an attempt to distort history.
Former head of the KLA War Veterans Organization (OVL-UÇK), Hysni Gucati, in his address to the crowd, accused the Special Court of distorting Kosovo’s history.
“Today, the KLA veterans are very proud of your unity in standing against a court that is anti-Kosovo. We have always known we would stand together when our dignity is at risk. The Special Court is deforming our history,” Gucati declared.
He stressed that this court is targeting key figures of the KLA war effort, individuals who were allies of NATO during the Kosovo War.
“The truth is completely different. This court is prosecuting NATO’s allies — Hashim, Kadri, Jakup, and Rexhep,” he said.
Continuing with harsh criticism of the Special Court, Gucati labeled it as an institution serving Serbia’s interests.
“There is no court in the world that can undo historical truth. This court, with its selective prosecutions focusing only on Albanians’ alleged crimes, aims to reverse Serbia’s history. It is trying to create a false narrative that Kosovo was liberated by criminals. The Kosovo Liberation Army, together with NATO, freed Kosovo from Serbian criminals. This is not justice — this is political violence. This is the criminalization of the KLA,” Gucati stated.
