The Albanian diaspora in the United States held a protest in Times Square, New York, following the first-instance verdict by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague against four former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders.
Tirana Prefect Shkëlqim Hajdari shared images from the gathering on social media. He conveyed the diaspora’s support for Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi.
“All together, for one goal: freedom for the liberators!” Hajdari wrote. He said Albanian-Americans gathered “as one” to express solidarity with the former KLA leaders, whom he described as unjustly convicted.
Hajdari said Albanians from different regions share a common bond through Kosovo, its history and their respect for those who, according to him, fought and sacrificed for its freedom.
“Our message is clear: we do not forget our liberators. We do not forget the sacrifice of the people of Kosovo,” Hajdari said.
The Times Square protest followed another gathering in the Bronx on September 12. Hajdari and Mark Gjonaj helped organize that protest in support of the former KLA leaders.
Representatives of KLA veterans’ associations also attended the Bronx event. Members of the Atlantic Battalion and Albanian organizations from Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and the Preševo Valley also took part.
On September 16, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague issued the first-instance verdict against the four former KLA leaders. The court sentenced Hashim Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years in prison each, Kadri Veseli to 18 years and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years, for a combined total of 81 years.
The Trial Panel also acquitted all four defendants of the charges of crimes against humanity.
In his message from New York, Hajdari concluded with a call for “Freedom, justice and dignity! Together for our brothers. Together for the liberators.”
/a.c/
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