During her visit to Kosovo, Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Elisa Spiropali, also spoke about the trial of former KLA leaders at The Hague, KosovaPress reports.
Spiropali stated that justice must be impartial and cannot operate with double standards. The Albanian top diplomat emphasized that the Kosovo war was not a struggle for power and that victims and aggressors cannot be placed on the same level.
However, she noted that Albania respects international justice and its independence, but it must be impartial and cannot apply double standards, equating victims and aggressors legally, morally, or historically.
“Today at The Hague, the leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army—Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi—face justice. Their names are known to every citizen of Kosovo. They represent a specific chapter in our history of resistance. We do not interfere in the process and do not prejudge any judicial decision, but we have a moral and historical duty to clearly state that justice must be full, without violations of international legal standards, without human rights violations, and not partial. It cannot be detached from the context of a liberation struggle by an entire people. It cannot ignore the fact that Kosovo experienced state aggression, ethnic cleansing, and mass crimes against the Albanian civilian population. No trial should create the perception that history is being rewritten in an unbalanced way,” she said.
When asked which country has contributed more to the former KLA leaders on trial at The Hague, she said there is no competition.
“We are not in a contest over who defended the rights more, but we are undoubtedly being tested on how well we coordinate and harmonize our stance regarding not only international justice at The Hague but also our national position on the KLA war, the legitimacy of that struggle, and the right of this people to defend international law at the highest levels,” she added.
On February 9 of this year, the presentation of closing arguments began in the case of the former KLA leaders.
This marks the final phase of the largest judicial process at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
The defense teams of Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi have requested that all four be acquitted of all charges.
They stated before the panel that there is no evidence supporting the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office claims of war crimes.
The Chief Specialist Prosecutor, Kimberly West, requested a 45-year prison sentence for each of the former KLA leaders.
Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi face charges brought by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, which they have described as unfounded. The defense also rejected these charges, arguing that the KLA did not have an organized command structure.
The trial began on April 3, 2023—almost three years after the indictment was confirmed—with the former KLA leaders held in pre-trial detention in The Hague.
