From Treviso, Italy, Albanians say “Not in my name”

Albanians gathered on Sunday in Treviso, Italy, to protest the verdict of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, joining a wave of demonstrations by the Albanian diaspora under the motto “Not in my name”.

The protests are aimed at overturning the 81-year combined prison sentence handed to former president Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. Albanian citizens also rallied on Sunday in Skanderbeg Square in Skopje against the Special Court’s decision, voicing strong support for the KLA and its leaders in The Hague. Demonstrators carried KLA flags and banners reading “Liria ka emër” (Freedom has a name) and “Jo në emrin tim” (Not in my name).

Similar protests were held on Sunday by emigrants in Melbourne, Australia, in Oslo, Norway, and in Geneva, Switzerland. And tonight, starting at 9 p.m., citizens are expected to gather once again in Pristina’s Skanderbeg Square for the 12th consecutive night, under the motto “Not in my name”, in opposition to the Special Court’s conviction, as KosovaPress reports.

Yesterday, protests organized by the Albanian diaspora were also held in Ulm, Frankfurt and Hamburg in Germany, and in Kansalaistori in Helsinki, Finland, KosovaPress reports, all aimed at challenging the guilty verdict against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.