A countdown clock dedicated to former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi has been unveiled in Drenas, marking the beginning of what organizers call the “Hour of Waiting” for justice and freedom.
The countdown began at 20:00 in the “Fehmi and Xhevë Lladrovci” Square, where Drenas Mayor Ramiz Lladrovci joined supporters in launching the initiative.
Positioned beside the statues of Kosovo war heroes Fehmi and Xhevë Lladrovci, the clock will count down the seconds, minutes, hours and days leading toward the expected verdict in the case of the four former KLA leaders currently on trial in The Hague.
Lladrovci described the countdown as a symbol of the wait for justice, saying that the “Hour of Freedom” carries an immeasurable weight for Kosovo’s patriotic community and those who contributed to the country’s liberation.
“The Hour of Freedom for the liberators is a wait for justice,” Lladrovci said.
He also invoked Kosovo’s alliance with NATO and the United States, arguing that the country’s liberation should not be rewritten by history or political narratives.
The initiative is part of a wider campaign by the civic platform “Liria Ka Emër” (Freedom Has a Name). Similar countdown clocks have already been installed in several locations in Kosovo and have also appeared among the diaspora in Europe, including Düsseldorf.
The campaign is building toward a planned March for Freedom in Pristina on September 12, where organizers are expected to rally in support of the four former KLA leaders.
The “Hour of Waiting” has therefore become more than a clock. For its supporters, it is a public symbol of solidarity, anticipation and the belief that the final verdict should bring justice and allow the former KLA leaders to return home.
The countdown has begun. Kosovo is waiting.
