Democratic Party of Albania leader Sali Berisha has strongly criticized the indictment presented by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague against former political and military leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), describing the accusations as politically motivated and rooted in Serbian propaganda.
Berisha Rejects Prosecution Allegations
In a public statement, Berisha claimed that prosecutors have presented what he described as the most severe charges to date, seeking prison sentences that could collectively total approximately two centuries for key figures of Kosovo’s liberation war.
Berisha emphasized that he supports accountability for any crimes, regardless of who committed them, but argued that after closely following the multi-year judicial process, no concrete evidence has been publicly presented to substantiate the alleged crimes.
Accusations Described as Recycled Claims
According to Berisha, the indictment represents a repetition of allegations previously promoted by Serbian ultranationalist narratives. He specifically referenced past claims regarding alleged organ trafficking involving Serbian prisoners of war, calling them fabricated accusations originally advanced by former Serbian war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević.
Berisha stated that the former KLA leaders were allies of NATO during Kosovo’s war for liberation, and he urged the court to avoid being influenced by what he called propaganda-driven accusations.
Call for Judicial Impartiality
The Albanian opposition leader appealed to the Specialist Chambers to ensure that its decisions are based solely on legal evidence and international justice standards.
“I call on the Court not to be influenced by propagandistic accusations that exceed all limits and are unprecedented in the history of international justice, and to confirm the innocence of the former political and military leaders of Kosovo,” Berisha stated.
Broader Political and Legal Context
The Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, based in The Hague, were established to investigate allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the 1998–1999 Kosovo conflict. The court operates under Kosovo law but with international staffing and oversight.
The indictments against former KLA leaders have remained a sensitive and politically charged issue across the Western Balkans, drawing strong reactions from political figures and public audiences in both Kosovo and Albania.
