• War crimes prosecutors seek 45 years' prison for Kosovo ex-president (Reuters, AFP, media)
• Suspects in the misuse of votes in Dragash are being interviewed (Paparaci)
• The Supreme Court says it has reviewed all appeals (Koha)
• British Ambassador: Kosovo and Serbia must fulfill their obligations for normalization (SinjalI)
• Radulovic: Security dilemma and obsolete equipment are pushing the region into an arms spiral (Kosovo Online)

War crimes prosecutors seek 45 years' prison for Kosovo ex-president (Reuters, AFP, media) 

International war crimes prosecutors said on Monday Kosovo's former president Hashim Thaci controlled ethnic Albanian guerrillas and should be convicted of war crimes and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Thaci and three other ex-Kosovo Liberation Army 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.

Under the headline “The Chief Prosecutor of the Specialist Chambers seeks 180 years in prison for former KLA leaders”, Koha writes that the Chief Prosecutor of the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, Kimberly West, has requested sentences of 45 years each for the four accused in the largest case before the Specialist Chambers.

KOHA requested clarification from the Specialist Chambers’ spokesperson, Christopher Bennett, regarding what the Chief Prosecutor’s statement meant, and he clarified that West was referring to a sentence of 45 years for each of the accused.

Meanwhile, War Veteran’s Organisations have gathered at their offices in Pristina to closely follow the hearing of the closing statements in the judicial process against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi.

The Head of the KLA War Veterans’ Organization, Hysni Gucati, said that the statement of Chief Prosecutor Kimberly West as scandalous, particularly her request for a sentence of 45 years for each individual in the judicial process against the former KLA leaders. Referring to the request for a total of 180 years in prison, Gucati said that this only pleases Serbia and all those who are against Kosovo.

PDK leader Bedri Hamza said the trial against former KLA leaders is not only a legal process but also a test of the international community’s conscience. He expressed confidence that international justice will reach an impartial final decision, reaffirmed belief in the innocence of Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi, and described the case as a matter of historical truth and Kosovo’s just struggle for freedom.

PDK MP Vlora Çitaku has reacted after the Chief Prosecutor in The Hague requested that former KLA leaders be sentenced to 45 years in prison.She said that the war for freedom cannot be punished. “The struggle for human and national dignity cannot be criminalized. History cannot be rewritten through injustice. Justice may be delayed, but the truth remains. Justice! Freedom!” Çitaku wrote on Facebook.

Shqipe Mehmeti-Selimi criticized the prosecution’s request for 45-year sentences for former KLA leaders, stating that history cannot be rewritten and calling for justice for those she described as liberators.

Mayor of Drenas, Ramiz Ladrovci said that the trial of former KLA leaders in The Hague is unjust and based on fabricated evidence and unreliable witnesses. Lladrovci said their release is essential to Kosovo’s democratic foundations, Euro-Atlantic values, and alliance with NATO and the United States.

AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj urged people to join a march supporting former KLA leaders facing trial in The Hague, calling for unity among Albanians. The protest is scheduled for 17 February at 14:00.

Suspects in the misuse of votes in Dragash are being interviewed (Paparaci)

The Basic Prosecution Office in Prizren is interviewing today several suspects for misuse of votes in Dragash. Those being interviewed are suspected of criminal offenses related to the violation of voting rights, the Prizren Prosecution said in a media statement.

The Supreme Court says it has reviewed all appeals (Koha)

The Supreme Court has announced that it has reviewed all appeals against the decisions of the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel regarding the election results following the recount of votes. The drafting of the decisions and their delivery to the parties is expected to be completed today, said spox Antigona Uka-Lutfiu. The Supreme Court reviewed six appeals against the decisions of the ECAP.

British Ambassador: Kosovo and Serbia must fulfill their obligations for normalization (SinjalI)

The British Ambassador in Belgrade, Edward Ferguson, said that responsibility for the lack of progress in the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue is shared. He called on Kosovo to establish the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, as envisaged in the 2013 Brussels Agreement, and stressed that Serbia must respect its commitments, including not obstructing Kosovo’s membership in international organizations. Ferguson underlined that the 2023 Ohrid Agreement offers a clear path toward normalization, but its implementation requires political will from both sides.

Radulovic: Security dilemma and obsolete equipment are pushing the region into an arms spiral (Kosovo Online) 

Military analyst Vlade Radulovic told Kosovo Online that the armament of Western Balkan countries follows the classic “security dilemma”, in which every move by one state is perceived by others as a threat and answered by strengthening their own capacities. As he explains, such a spiral further fuel the arms race in the region, even though a large part of procurement is motivated by the replacement of obsolete equipment from the 1990s.