AP: veterans protested EU-backed court that prosecutes former fighters

According to the AP, Kosovo war veterans held a protest Thursday against the Special Court, a court supported by the European Union, which prosecutes their former fighters who held the 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia, claiming the court is fair and unjust.

Thousands of people gathered in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, at the main square “Skenderbeu”, to cheer in support of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders, broadcast Periscope.

Protest was organised by veterans' association known as O VL- KLA under the motto: “Both against injustice. The KLA is glory, not accusation. Today, the KLA, tomorrow our entire story”.

“No violence reported”, the AP says.

“They are heroes”, written in a poster, with the names of four KLA leaders facing trial at the EU-backed Kosovo Special Chambers Court, headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands. “Special Court is distorting our history, is showing injustice to those who fought for human freedom and dignity”, said Hysni Gucati, head of the veterans' organisation.

Since 2020, four top KLA leaders have been in custody by the tribunal, former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, former Parliament Speaker Kadri Veselin and Jakup Krasniqi, and former lawmaker Rexhep Selimi. They face charges involving murder, torture and persecution of civilians during and after the war.

The court and an associate prosecutor's office were established after a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, a human rights body, involving charges that KLA fighters trafficked human organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and ethnic Albanian fellow citizens. The charges of taking organs are not included in the indictment issued by the tribunal.

Two other former KLA members have already been sentenced by The Hague tribunal, including Peter Shala. Also, Gucati and another official of the organisation have been sentenced by the tribunal in the Netherlands for fearing witnesses and obstructing justice.