The Kosovo Liberation Army Veterans' Organization held a protest in Strasbourg, France, demanding the release of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Yakup Krasniqi, who are indicted at the Special Court for Kosovo in The Hague, the Kosovo newspaper "Koha Ditore" reported, quoted by BTA.
Yesterday's protest was held in front of the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg and is the fourth in support of the former KLA leaders after those in Pristina, The Hague and Tirana, the publication recalls.
The four former KLA commanders were detained in custody in The Hague on 4 and 5 November 2020 following the confirmation of the indictment against them for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war. Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi have pleaded not guilty and denied all charges. Their trial began at the Special Court for Kosovo in The Hague on 3 April 2023 and is scheduled to conclude in December 2025.
The leader of the veterans' organization, Husni Guqati, said during his speech yesterday that the Special Court for Kosovo in The Hague had allowed "fabricated by Serbia" witnesses to testify against former KLA leaders, notes "Koha Ditore".
The Kosovo Liberation Army Veterans Organization reported that they have sent a letter to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) expressing their concerns about the trial of KLA commanders, who have been detained in The Hague for five years.
The Kosovo Special Court in The Hague was established in 2015 to investigate allegations and charges of war crimes committed by KLA members during and after the war in Kosovo. The investigation into these crimes and the establishment of the court were initiated following the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Dick Marty, presented on 7 January 2011. Dick Marty's report alleged that members of the KLA were involved in drug trafficking, kidnappings and murders, as well as human and organ trafficking in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The court began hearings in December 2018.