The leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Bedri Hamza, has called for urgent action by Kosovo’s institutions following the September 16 verdict at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague against the former KLA leaders.
At a meeting of the PDK Governing Council, Hamza said that defending the former KLA leaders and challenging narratives that, according to him, distort the liberation war should be among the state’s main priorities.
“Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi and their fellow fighters have suffered a great injustice. The verdict against them is unjust, unacceptable and politically influenced. Our first responsibility is not to leave them alone,” Hamza said.
He stressed that efforts to defend them should be carried out within the law and through institutions, ensuring them the best possible legal protection in the next stages of the proceedings.
According to Hamza, the verdict has political and historical consequences to which Kosovo must respond with facts, documents, institutional action and diplomacy.
“The KLA and the West were allies in 1999. The United States, NATO and our Western allies were part of the joint effort that ended the war and paved the way for Kosovo’s freedom. Therefore, any distortion of the history of our war also affects the history of this alliance,” he said.
Speaking about the draft law proposed by the PDK to amend and supplement the Law on the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, Hamza explained that the initiative aims to review the scope of the Specialist Chambers, not to shut them down. The PDK has already submitted the draft law to the Assembly and has called for support from other political entities.
According to Hamza, the draft law foresees that cases unrelated to the allegations contained in Dick Marty’s report would be transferred to Kosovo’s justice system, together with the relevant case files, evidence and materials.
Hamza also said that the initiative proposes the possibility of monitoring by professional and independent international organizations to assess fair-trial standards, the length of proceedings, detention conditions and respect for human rights.
He clarified that the proposal does not interfere with the current stage of the proceedings, which will continue until the completion of the appeals process.
“Now the state must also act. The Assembly must do its part. The Government must do its part. And the PDK will do its part,” he declared.
At the end, Hamza called for mobilization for the protest announced for October 1 in Prishtina, starting at 4:00 p.m.
“Let us raise our voices together against injustice on October 1,” the PDK leader said.
