President Vjosa Osmani has stated that she supports the protest in Tirana in defense of former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). She said that the KLA’s war was just and in defense of the people of Kosovo.

In Tirana, Albania, a protest will be held on October 17 demanding justice for former KLA commanders. The protest will take place at “Skanderbeg” Square.

After visiting the Oncology Department and donating 640 oncology packages, the head of state was asked whether she supports the upcoming protest in the Albanian capital.

“I support this protest and I have supported every protest that calls for justice. The citizens of Kosovo and Albanians everywhere have never asked for anything other than justice. Justice that respects the highest principles of human rights protection. Kosovo, and more specifically the leaders who are now facing trial in The Hague precisely because they trusted justice, have appeared before it. It has now been five years, without any doubt in international justice, but we as Kosovo institutions continuously demand that the highest principles of human rights and freedoms be respected. I fully support our citizens and back them whenever they protest to demand that these standards be upheld,” Osmani declared.

She added that the Kosovo Liberation Army defended the citizens of Kosovo with dignity, emphasizing that there was only one aggressor.

“The war of the Kosovo Liberation Army was a just war for freedom, a war to protect the people and liberate Kosovo from occupation that lasted for centuries, a war focused on defending the home and innocent citizens who were attacked, killed, and massacred by the Serbian army. For anyone who has witnessed what happened in the last war in Kosovo, it is very clear: there was only one aggressor, Serbia, and only one victim, Kosovo. The Kosovo Liberation Army defended the citizens of Kosovo with dignity, defended the Republic of Kosovo with dignity, and we will defend the justice of this war until the end,” she said.

The protest in Tirana is organized by the Organization of Veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army (OVL-KLA). Yesterday, during a press conference, it was announced that over 60 buses will depart from Kosovo. The protest is also confirmed to include the participation of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Another protest was held in The Hague on September 14, a day before the hearing of the first defense witness, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Rubin. The protest took place near the Special Court building, with around 10,000 Albanians from around the world participating.

Additionally, on August 7 in Pristina, the Organization of Veterans of the KLA gathered former fighters and other citizens in a protest against what they consider the injustice being done by the Special Court in The Hague.