Hyseni and Gjini react after The Hague verdict: Justice can be compromised, but history cannot be changed

The mayor of Gjilan, Alban Hyseni, and the mayor of Gjakova, who is also the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ardian Gjini, have reacted after the verdict announced today in The Hague against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi.

Hyseni, through a post on Facebook, expressed support for the accused and their families, calling the verdict an “injustice”.

“But no sentence can change the truth: they went to war as liberators to bring us freedom and in history they will remain as such forever,” Hyseni wrote.

He said that, in his view, the value of the KLA remains tied to the foundations of the state of Kosovo.

Gjini reacted by referring to the sentences handed down to the four former KLA leaders. He wrote that the decision is “shocking and deeply disappointing”, expressing support for their families and fellow fighters.

“This cannot change the historical truth,” Gjini wrote, describing the KLA war as a “just and liberation war against the criminal regime of Serbia”.

Gjini called on Kosovo to engage more in the second-instance phase of the trial.

The Specialist Court in The Hague today announced the first-instance verdict in the case against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, following a trial that began in 2023. /Telegrafi/