The “Genocide in Kosovo – An Open Wound” Center has called on Kosovo’s acting President, Albulena Haxhiu, and Prime Minister Albin Kurti to declare a state of emergency following the September 16 verdict against four former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders.
The organization has also urged Kosovo’s political parties and members of the Assembly to reach a consensus on abolishing the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague.
The demands were presented in a memorandum following the verdicts against former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, former Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli, former KLA political representative Jakup Krasniqi and former KLA commander Rexhep Selimi.
According to the Specialist Chambers’ judgment, Thaçi and Krasniqi were each sentenced to 25 years in prison, Veseli to 18 years and Selimi to 13 years, for a combined total of 81 years.
Bardhyl Mahmuti, head of the “Genocide in Kosovo – An Open Wound” Center, said at a press conference that, in his assessment, the judgment undermines Kosovo’s constitutional order and independence.
He called for what he described as comprehensive institutional mobilization, arguing that the issue extends beyond the fate of the four former KLA leaders.
“A decision that undermines Kosovo’s Constitution and seriously affects Kosovo’s independence requires comprehensive mobilization,” Mahmuti said, according to KosovaPress.
He said the center’s memorandum calls on Kosovo’s institutions to act within their constitutional powers regarding the declaration of a state of emergency, while urging political parties and lawmakers to overcome their differences.
The memorandum was presented by Alketa Gashi, a member of the center’s leadership.
The organization specifically called on acting President Haxhiu, in consultation with Kurti and with reference to Article 131 of Kosovo’s Constitution, to declare a state of emergency.
The center also called for a joint political response and greater institutional coordination, arguing that delays could have serious consequences.
The Specialist Chambers were established through Kosovo’s constitutional and legislative framework and operate in The Hague under a mandate to adjudicate allegations arising from the 1998–99 Kosovo war. The September 16 judgment concerns the individual criminal responsibility of the four defendants.
The verdict is subject to appeal.
