Today marks exactly half a decade since Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi have been held in pre-trial detention in The Hague over charges of war crimes.
Acting Prime Minister and leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, reacted via a social media post, stating that the same individuals are being detained without any legal or moral justification.
“Five years of waiting, five years behind bars, while the same reason repeats in every decision denying their release: ‘risk of witness interference.’ Yet the Prosecution has concluded its case. There are no longer any witnesses. There is no legal or moral reason for them to remain in pre-trial detention,” Kurti wrote on Facebook.
He emphasized that this has been his stance from day one.
“We have worked long and diligently on this matter, quietly, because often good work is done without noise. But sometimes, work that is unseen remains unknown.”
Kurti added that as Prime Minister, his office and he personally have been advocating for their release from the very beginning.
“Attached is the letter that was sent directly to Ms. Trandafilova regarding this matter in September 2022. I am making it public today for one reason only: because I believe it is right that they return to their homes, be with their families, and defend in freedom the just liberation struggle of Kosovo. Ms. Trandafilova’s response, two weeks after receiving the letter from me, did not change anything. The requests submitted received no resolution,” Kurti wrote.
