Gucati is declared at The Hague: We have not conquered Serbia, but our country has been occupied by Serbia

At the end of the session, the two indictees have been granted the right to give their statements regarding the trial process in a few minutes.

The first was addressed by Gucati, who said he first wanted to share his country's history with the tribunal -- that is, Kosovo, either from the village of Morina and Skywright -- the country that said that during the last war he lost more people per capita.

He also indicated that during 1998-1999, he has joined the Kosovo Liberation Army to protect basic human rights, such as freedom and the right to a free life in our hearths.

“In the June 1999 fighting, I have been wounded by Serbian forces, and as a consequence of that today I am disabled and cannot walk like all other people.”.

“We as the oldest people in the Balkans have not conquered Serbia, but our country has been occupied by Serbia”.

“Where we've been standing unjust for over a year, we haven't done anything wrong.”.

“We've taken advantage of our right to free speech, the rights we've earned with many sacrifices. During March-April 1999 alone, more than 400 massacres and crimes by Serbian genocide have been committed on our people. Over a thousand and 400 children were killed, and over 20,000 women were raped, and thousands of elders who couldn't move were killed, and thousands found that we don't even know about their fate, or the missing.”.

“It is my legitimate right to defend the rights and values of my nation, of the KLA, and of the Republic of my state of Kosovo, and these values are human, which I am obliged to defend”, Gucati declared before the court, although at one point the speech was interrupted by the judge, who begged him not to go into detail and talk about more political arguments, but to focus on the judicial process..