Albin Kurti strongly condemned Wednesday’s Hague verdict against former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, calling the convictions and lengthy prison sentences an “unacceptable injustice.”
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In a statement following the verdict, Kosovo’s prime minister said the judgment must be challenged and corrected on appeal “as soon as possible,” while expressing support for the families of the four former KLA commanders and their former comrades.
Kurti argued that the judgment did not establish the prosecution’s most serious allegation that the KLA had carried out a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population. He said the convictions instead concerned specific alleged war crimes, including torture of people considered collaborators of the Serbian regime.
According to Kurti, these findings are unjust but are not final and will now be subject to appeal.
The Kosovo prime minister also criticized the structure of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, arguing that its proceedings have focused criminal responsibility on one side of the Kosovo war while Serbian state officials accused of atrocities against Kosovo Albanians have remained outside its jurisdiction.
“This creates, inevitably, the appearance of one-sided justice,” Kurti said, while arguing that justice must not only be impartial but must also be perceived as impartial.
Kurti said the Kosovo government would continue to provide institutional support to Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi during the appeal proceedings.
He also rejected any interpretation of the verdict as a judgment on the legitimacy of the Kosovo Liberation Army itself, arguing that the KLA emerged as a response to repression against Kosovo Albanians.
The four former KLA leaders were sentenced to a combined 81 years in prison: Thaçi and Krasniqi received 25 years each, Veseli 18 years and Selimi 13 years. The first-instance judgment can be appealed.