Former Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj has called on Kosovo to submit the first-instance judgment in the case against four former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders to the Venice Commission for review.
Hoxhaj said this should be Kosovo’s first institutional step following the September 16 judgment by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, which convicted former KLA leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi of war crimes. The judgment is subject to appeal.
Speaking on ATV, Hoxhaj argued that the Venice Commission should examine the judgment in its entirety, claiming that the ruling raises questions about how the status of Kosovo as an independent state has been treated by the court.
“I think the first thing Kosovo should do is send the judgment on the former KLA leaders, issued on September 16, to the Venice Commission. Since the judges in this case still do not know whether we are an independent state or not, I think the Venice Commission should examine the judgment from beginning to end,” Hoxhaj said.
He recalled that Kosovo became a member of the Venice Commission while he was serving as foreign minister, stressing that Kosovo is a full member of the body.
“In the Venice Commission, Kosovo became a member when I was foreign minister. We are a member state there, without an asterisk, without a footnote; we are an equal state,” he said.
Hoxhaj also called for Kosovo to urgently pursue its efforts toward membership in the Council of Europe and said the issue of the Specialist Chambers should be addressed as part of that process.
“After this step, I think Kosovo should urgently begin the process of membership in the Council of Europe and the Specialist Court should be addressed,” Hoxhaj said.
Hoxhaj has previously called for political coordination over the consequences of the Specialist Chambers’ judgment, saying that Kosovo’s political leadership should consider how to respond to the new circumstances created by the ruling.
The September 16 first-instance judgment sentenced Thaçi and Krasniqi to 25 years in prison each, Veseli to 18 years and Selimi to 13 years. The defendants have the right to appeal.
