During an interview for Radio Television of Kosovo, the former Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Jakup Krasniqi, expressed his conviction that the decision of the Special Court on September 16 will prove the purity of the KLA’s war.
“I have no doubt that in the end, when all the facts are weighed, justice will prevail and the purity of our liberation struggle will be fully vindicated. I strongly believe that this process will serve to prove to history that our struggle is a just, pure and inevitable struggle for freedom.”
Krasniqi said that the West knows the truth about Kosovo and the Liberation Army cannot be redefined as a criminal or terrorist organization.
“The world cannot forget what it has seen with its own eyes, the sacrifice of a people for freedom. Therefore, despite the ongoing court proceedings in The Hague, history cannot and must not redefine the Kosovo Liberation Army as a criminal or terrorist organization.”
Regarding the developments in Kosovo, Krasniqi said: “Our challenges, both internal and those on the international and geopolitical scene, require a long-term strategic vision that goes beyond four-year terms. It is time for prudence, for finding a national unity around the vital institutions of the state and for maintaining strategic partnerships.”
The former head of the Assembly of Kosovo also had a message for the young generation that has not experienced the war.
“My message to the youth is simple: love and protect Kosovo. The freedom you enjoy today did not come for free; it was paid at the highest human price, with the sacrifice of many generations.”
The former commanders of the KLA, Hashim Thaçi, Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi, have been held in custody in The Hague since the end of 2020. The Special Prosecutor’s Office accuses them of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the KLA war in 1999 and has requested their sentence of 45 years in prison.
