The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa reacted during today’s meeting of the government of Kosovo regarding the decision of a senior court in Serbia to convict eight former high ranking members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), saying that no Serbian court has competences to make decisions on the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo.

Prime Minister Mustafa said that Kosovo and Serbia are clarifying and are trying to normalize relations through the dialogue process in order for Serbia and Kosovo to act within their territorial scope.

“Therefore, on behalf of the government of the Republic of Kosovo, we are reacting against this farce judicial process in Serbia which convicted yesterday eight  former high ranking members of the 138 Brigade of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The two former leaders of this brigade, already deputies of the Republic of Kosovo, Anton Cuni and Rrustem Berisha, as well as the other six, Xhafer Gashi, Demush Gacaferri, Deme Maloku, Agon Isufi, Rabit Alija and Sheqeri Maloku, were convicted yesterday in absentia, from a court in Nis, Serbia.

No court in Serbia has the right to convict the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, let alone to hold judicial processes for the KLA fighters, who fought a liberating war, respecting the laws and customs of the war,” Mustafa said.

He further noted that the government of Kosovo will inform the international partners for this tendency and will request from them to exercise pressure on Serbia to stop with such judicial farces and prosecution of the citizens of Kosovo with ungrounded accusations, completely outside of international judicial standards.

“No decision of this court made yesterday towards the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, honorable senior members of KLA and no other judicial process will have any impact nor can they ever implement, because the Serbian courts do not have the jurisdiction to process issues concerning Kosovo and its citizens, because Kosovo is an independent state and to Serbia, Kosovars are foreign citizens,” PM Mustafa said.