Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the convictions and sentences against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi an “unacceptable injustice.”
“The convictions and heavy sentences against four former KLA leaders represent an unacceptable injustice. They also represent a serious and harmful punishment,” Kurti said.
Kurti also challenged the court’s statement that it issued the verdict “in the name of the people of Kosovo.” He said this wording must not be confused with the will of the people.
Kurti called on the appeals court to change the first-instance verdict as soon as possible. He also expressed support for the families of the four former KLA leaders and their former comrades.
In his full statement, Kurti said the legal battle would continue through the appeals process. He also referred to the origins of the allegations against the KLA, which he linked to claims raised at the Council of Europe in 2008.
Kurti said prosecutors later failed to support some of the most serious initial allegations with sufficient evidence. He also said the court rejected what he described as the most serious remaining allegation against the KLA.
According to Kurti, the court did not establish that the KLA had carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians. He also said the court did not judge the overall legitimacy or character of the KLA war.
Kurti noted that the court did not establish the conditions required for crimes against humanity. Instead, the convictions concern specific war crimes charges, including the torture of people considered collaborators of the Serbian regime.
Kurti called these findings unjust. However, he stressed that the first-instance verdict remains subject to appeal.
Meanwhile, Kurti highlighted testimony from international figures who knew the Kosovo conflict firsthand. He said they described the KLA as a response to decades of repression against Kosovo Albanians.
Kurti added that these witnesses challenged claims that the KLA carried out ethnic cleansing. They also questioned claims that a centralized command controlled every action on the ground.
According to Kurti, these testimonies raise serious questions about the court’s conclusions. He said the Kosovo government would continue to support the defendants during the appeals process.
Kurti then placed the verdict in the broader history of Kosovo. He said the KLA emerged after years of repression against Kosovo Albanians.
He cited the removal of Kosovo’s autonomy and the exclusion of Albanians from state institutions. He also pointed to dismissals from jobs, restrictions on education, imprisonment, torture and killings.
Kurti then referred to massacres, destroyed settlements and the mass expulsion of hundreds of thousands of people. He said these events created the conditions in which the KLA emerged.
At the same time, Kurti said no one should deny or minimize human suffering. However, he argued that findings about specific crimes should not become a judgment on the KLA or its wider war.
Kurti described the KLA as a response to repression by the Serbian regime. He said a court ruling cannot erase what he described as the political and historical character of its struggle.
Kurti also criticized the structure and mandate of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. He said the court has focused its criminal proceedings on one side of the conflict.
According to Kurti, the absence of Serbian state officials responsible for crimes in Kosovo creates concerns about equal justice. He also criticized what he described as limited public transparency during parts of the proceedings.
Kurti said this approach raises concerns about equality before the law and the impartiality of the institution. He also called for greater attention to these issues during the appeals process.
Kosovo, he said, will continue to support Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi during the appeal. The government will provide institutional support as the defendants challenge the first-instance verdict.
Kurti stressed that the legal process has not ended. The appeals court will now review the case and the arguments raised by the defense.
“Today, the court judged specific charges and actions. It did not judge, and cannot condemn, the reason why the KLA emerged,” Kurti said.
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