Gazmend Syla, Deputy Chairman of the Organization of KLA War Veterans (OVL-UÇK), has strongly criticized the Specialist Chambers in The Hague for accepting documents from Serbia’s former Ministry of Interior (MUP) as evidence against former KLA leaders, claiming that this action casts serious doubt on the legitimacy of Kosovo’s state-building history.
Speaking on RTK’s Info Plus, Syla called the news “shocking,” especially in light of the fact that 26 years ago, it was the international community that targeted the Serbian regime and its institutions as part of its intervention. “The very same three Serbian institutions that were part of the apparatus attacked by NATO are now being accepted as legitimate sources of evidence by the Special Court,” he said.
Syla reiterated that the OVL-UÇK has opposed the Special Court from the beginning, stating that actions like this were always expected.
“We are now at a serious crossroads. The key question is: Are these three Serbian institutions being legitimized to provide what the Special Court considers ‘credible’ information to prosecute our freedom fighters? Or were these institutions themselves criminal, run by individuals who have been convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia?” he asked.
He emphasized that the current actions of the Special Court deeply undermine the historical foundations of Kosovo’s independence and legitimacy. “What is happening now puts our entire state-building narrative into serious question,” Syla stressed.
He also noted that this is not the first time the court has relied on Serbian prosecutorial documents in its cases against former KLA commanders.
