• Thousands in Kosovo rally against war crimes trial of ex-KLA commanders (Reuters)
• ‘Not in our name’: Kosovars protest Hague war crimes trial (BIRN)
• KLA War Veterans to Specialist Chambers: Count all these opposing voices (all media)
• Konjufca in the Hague, “optimistic that KLA leaders will soon return to Kosovo” (RTK)
• Albanian PM shares video of call with former President Thaci (all media)
• Kurti: On 18th anniversary, Kosovo is stronger than ever (all media)
• Erdogan congratulates Osmani on anniversary of declaration of independence (RTK)
• British MP Kearns writes about her stay in Kosovo (Express)
• Rasic: Problems of Serbs are result of inadequate political representation (RTK2)
• Police find weapons and ammunition in three separate locations in the north (media)

Thousands in Kosovo rally against war crimes trial of ex-KLA commanders (Reuters)

Thousands gathered in Pristina on Tuesday bearing banners of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army to protest against the trial of former KLA leaders, including a former president, accused of war crimes during the 1998-99 war for independence.

Former president Hashim Thaci, former parliament speakers Jakup Krasniqi and Kadri Veseli, and former lawmaker Rexhep Selimi were arrested in 2020 and sent to face trial at the special Kosovo war crimes court in The Hague.

Thaci and three other former KLA commanders are charged with persecution, murder, torture and forced disappearances of people during and shortly after the 1998-99 uprising that eventually brought independence for the Albanian majority region from Serbia. They deny all charges.

The court is hearing closing arguments in the trial this week, before judges deliver a final verdict within three months. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 45 years for each.

"Those who deserve to be in The Hague are the occupiers, not the liberators," said Miran Zeka, 49, who came from Albania to protest in Pristina.

"We fought in our land, we did not go to Serbia to fight," said Bekim Muja, 53, a veteran of the 1998-99 Kosovo war.

Many protesters wore KLA uniforms, others waved KLA, Kosovo and Albanian flags. Supporters held placards reading "Freedom has a name," and held photos of Thaci and others reading "Heroes of War and Peace."

Thaci, 57, served as prime minister, foreign minister and president of independent Kosovo between 2008 and 2020.

More than 13,000 people, the majority of them Kosovo Albanians, are believed to have died during the late 1990s insurgency, when Kosovo was still a province of Serbia under then-nationalist strongman President Slobodan Milosevic, whose troops violently cracked down on ethnic Albanians.

‘Not in our name’: Kosovars protest Hague war crimes trial (BIRN)

As Kosovo marked its 18th anniversary of the country’s independence declaration on Tuesday, the main square filled with people protesting against the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers war crimes court as the trial of four former Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA leaders enters its final stage.

Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi are accused of having individual and command responsibility for crimes committed against prisoners held at KLA detention facilities in Kosovo and neighbouring Albania, including 102 murders, during the 1998-99 Kosovo war. Prosecutors are seeking 45-year jail terms.

Nuhi Pllana, a former member of the KLA, joined the protest wearing the uniform he wore during the armed struggle.

“I am here today to demand justice because there is no justice. It is unprecedented [for the prosecution] to seek 45 years of imprisonment for [each of] them. It’s like life imprisonment,” Pllana told BIRN.

The protest was held after its organisers staged dozens of meetings all over Kosovo seeking support for their cause. Buses were organised from every municipality to transport people to Pristina.

“Despite the trials, one thing remains clear – the KLA’s war remains a liberation war and this cannot be undone. If justice deviates, we are here to tell them: ‘Not in my name, not in our name,’” Ismajl Tasholli, one of the organisers, told the crowd, who held flags and banners with the KLA’s insignia.

See more at: https://h7.cl/1p5lA

KLA War Veterans to Specialist Chambers: Count all these opposing voices (all media)

All news websites cover a statement by the Organization of KLA War Veterans after the protest in Pristina on Tuesday in support of former KLA leaders in the Hague. “We call on the Specialist Chambers to count and take into account all these opposing voices. Thank you Albanians,” the organization said in a Facebook post.

Konjufca in the Hague, “optimistic that KLA leaders will soon return to Kosovo” (RTK)

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Glauk Konjufca, said in an interview with RTK on Tuesday that the trial of former KLA leaders has been politically influenced and marred with many violations. Konjufca is in the Hague where he will attend the proceedings against former KLA leaders.

Commenting on the indictment, he argued that if focuses more on the character of the war of the KLA than on individuals. “The 73-page indictment is full of political judgments against the war of the Kosovo Liberation Army. If you read the preamble of the indictment, you will notice that it has nothing to do with individuals. It goes way beyond individuals, and it deals only with the character of our liberation war. We know how sacred our liberation war. Without the engagement and without the fight of the KLA the freedom of Kosovo would not have happened,” he said.

Konjufca said that the freedom of Kosovo came as a result of the people’s will and the intervention of the international community. “Kosovo’s freedom is a result of the will of the people that always resisted and refused to submit to Serbian occupation … and then the international intervention. The international intervention and the fight of the KLA were complementary, they were not against one another,” he said.

Konjufca further argued that the KLA war was a defensive one and that it cannot be judged by anyone. He also said he was optimistic that the indictment will be overruled and that the former KLA leaders will be released and return to Kosovo.

Albanian PM shares video of call with former President Thaci (all media)

All news websites covered a Facebook video posted by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and his phone conversation with former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci who is standing trial in the Hague. Rama congratulates Thaci on the anniversary of declaration of independence and express his concern over the trial in the Hague, apologizing that he “is not able to do more”. Thaci is heard saying “I have won freedom forever, and wherever I may be, no one can take it away from me”.

Kurti: On 18th anniversary, Kosovo is stronger than ever (all media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Tuesday that on the 18th anniversary of the declaration of independence, Kosovo is stronger than ever. “With unprecedented democratic progress, the fastest growing economy in the region, an ever-strengthening military, we have much to be proud of for what we have achieved, and even more to look forward to in the years to come. Happy Independence Day to all of our citizens at home and abroad, and to the international allies and partners who continue to contribute to our success,” Kurti wrote in a post on X.

Erdogan congratulates Osmani on anniversary of declaration of independence (RTK)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a congratulatory message to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani on the anniversary of the declaration of independence. Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey’s continued support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kosovo, as well as for strengthening its position on the international stage. Erdogan also emphasised Turkey’s commitment to peace and stability in the region.

British MP Kearns writes about her stay in Kosovo (Express)

British MP Alicia Kearns, who was awarded the Kosovo Presidential Medal of Merit, said in a post on X it was a real joy to be in Kosovo to celebrate the anniversary of the declaration of independence. “Kosovo’s friends must stand by her in defence of self-determination, peace and our shared security. A beacon of democracy in a difficult neighbourhood, we cannot stand by while imperialist ambitions threaten security across the Balkans,” Kearns wrote in a post on X.

Rasic: Problems of Serbs are result of inadequate political representation (RTK2)

Kosovo’s Minister for Communities and Returns Nenad Rasic, in an interview with RTK2 on Tuesday, said that the main difficulties facing the Serb community come from inadequate political representation. He argued that many Serbs who previously had stable jobs are now leaving, which he described as part of a broader internal decline linked to political mismanagement. 

Commenting on the integration of education and healthcare into Kosovo’s framework, he criticized past agreements that were celebrated politically but later produced negative consequences for the Serb population once implementation began. According to him, many Serbs in Kosovo have lost confidence that meaningful improvements are possible and said he intends to work to restore that trust. 

Rasic said that the community’s sense of disempowerment dates back to the first Brussels Agreement in 2013, after which Serbs felt excluded from decision making processes. 

On returns, Rasic said that there is interest but mostly among older individuals, and that his ministry will seek to improve programmes supporting returnees in the coming period.

Police find weapons and ammunition in three separate locations in the north (media)

The Kosovo Police Regional Directorate in Mitrovica North said it has found weapons and ammunition in three separate locations in the north. Police said they received information from the people, and in three locations found: 95 rounds of various calibers, one emblem and several shoulder insignia of the Police of Serbia, an AK-47 rifle, a M-57 hand grenade, 3 empty AK-47 magazines; 85 rounds of 7.9 mm caliber ammunition, 2 military uniforms with Serbian emblems, 60 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, a hand grenade, and 50 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber ammunition.