“Skënderbeu” Square in Skopje became today the center of a city-wide protest in support of the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) — Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veselit, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimit. The rally, organized under the motto “Not in my name!”, came as a direct reaction to the decision of the Specialized Chambers of The Hague on September 16, which handed down heavy prison sentences to the former leaders of the KLA.
The activity started with a minute of silence in honor of those who fell for the freedom of Kosovo, while the meeting brought together the families of the martyrs, former political prisoners, representatives of student youth and citizens from different regions.
During his speech, the representative of the martyrs’ families, Arben Mustafa, described the decision of the court in The Hague as a blow to the historical truth of the liberation war.
“We are here to raise our voices for those who fought for Kosovo to be an independent state today. The KLA fought for the protection of the Albanian people, fought against the Serbian aggressor. The Albanian people in Kosovo were victims. Therefore, it is unfair that in this case the victim is punished and the aggressor is left in the shadows.”, said Arben Mustafa, representative of the families of the martyrs.
In the same line, Teuta Ajeti Bekteshi, former political prisoner, emphasized the one-sided nature of the judicial process, calling absurd the claim that the sentence is being given in the name of the victims or the sovereign.
“It is hypocrisy to punish the liberators in the name of the people of Kosovo. Which nation punishes its children, much less the Albanian people.” pointed out Teuta Ajeti Bekteshi, former political prisoner.
The representative of the students, Jon Selimi, underlined that the national sacrifice cannot be undone by any judicial instance, calling for the immediate release of the former military and political leaders.
The organizing council of the protest announced that the Skopje rally is only the first step of a wider response that will include all the main Albanian population centers in North Macedonia.
“We, as Albanians from North Macedonia, have protested every day in Kosovo, we made a decision to protest in Macedonia, we started from Skopje and will continue in all cities. Let the political parties join us, this is not about politics, this is about the nation.”, said Fexhri Asipi, member of the organizational council.
Decision of the Specialized Chambers
On September 16, the Specialized Chambers of The Hague found the former leaders of the KLA guilty, giving heavy sentences to Hashim Thaci, Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi. The decision has provoked strong public reactions and mass protests in all Albanian-speaking territories.
