The Organization of Veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army (OVL-UÇK) has firmly rejected recent statements made by Ekaterina Trendafilova, President of the Specialist Chambers, regarding the alleged risk to witnesses in Kosovo.
Trendafilova argued that the Special Court’s headquarters cannot be located in Kosovo due to safety concerns for witnesses—a claim the veterans call false and unfounded.
“This claim is baseless. Since 1999, dozens of trials against former KLA members have been conducted through UNMIK, EULEX, and local courts—without any systematic threat to witnesses,” OVL-UÇK said in a statement.
The organization highlights that these judicial processes included investigations, arrests, trials, and convictions, yet no systemic intimidation or life-threatening incidents involving witnesses have ever been proven.
“These proceedings occurred even during far more sensitive periods—immediately after the war—when emotions and consequences were still raw,” the statement continued.
The veterans argue that the realities on the ground clearly demonstrate that justice could be served within Kosovo, undermining the claim that the Specialist Chambers must operate from abroad.
“The idea that justice for the KLA can only be delivered outside Kosovo contradicts both the facts and our post-war judicial experience,” OVL-UÇK concluded.
