Conviction of Former KLA Leaders in The Hague: Freedom Party Seeks Interpellation with Rama

Tedi Blushi, head of the Freedom Party’s parliamentary group, has requested an urgent interpellation with Prime Minister Edi Rama regarding the Hague Special Court’s verdict against former KLA leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, who were sentenced to a total of 81 years in prison.

In the request filed in Parliament, Blushi asks Rama to explain the steps the Albanian government plans to take following the September 16 verdict. The request also focuses on the further pursuit of legal remedies, as well as coordination with Kosovo’s institutions and the defense teams of the former KLA leaders.

According to Blushi, the case should not be considered solely as a process concerning the convicts, their families or Kosovo’s institutions, since, in his view, it also has a dimension that affects Albania.

In the request addressed to the prime minister, he also raises concern over the inclusion in the proceedings of events and locations on Albanian territory and asks to know what the Albanian government’s stance on this matter will be.

Blushi also seeks the creation of a permanent coordination mechanism between the institutions of Albania and Kosovo, involving legal, diplomatic and institutional experts. This mechanism, according to the request, would serve to follow further developments and coordinate actions on the legal, diplomatic and institutional fronts.

The head of the PL parliamentary group also seeks answers on the actions the Albanian government will take on the diplomatic plane, including engagement in the international organizations of which Albania is a member, such as NATO, the United Nations and the Council of Europe.

Through the interpellation, Blushi asks Prime Minister Rama to clarify the Albanian government’s stance and concrete steps following the Hague Special Court’s verdict.