Kurti: With a joint defense team, the state would have done more for the four KLA leaders in The Hague

Prime Minister Albin Kurti, during his visit to the United States, was asked by an Albanian student what Kosovo’s state strategy is for the appeal at the Specialist Court in The Hague for the four former KLA leaders, following their first-instance conviction to 81 years in prison.

Kurti pledged that the Kosovo Government will support the defense teams in the appeal, but stressed the state would have done more had there been a single defense team for all four. “The state of Kosovo could have done more if there had been a joint team for the four KLA leaders. But that did not happen,” he said.

The prime minister explained that each of the leaders hired his own lawyer and defense team — four different teams — and that “it is quite difficult for the Government to engage when you have four different teams.”

Kurti said he himself had recognized neither the Serbian court nor that of UNMIK when he was on trial, but the lawyers of the former KLA leaders had a different stance: they thought that by working closely with the Specialist Chambers they would achieve a positive result.

Student Anisë Murseli cited the example of Croatia in 2011, when General Ante Gotovina was sentenced to 24 years in prison and the Croatian government increased financial support, conducted academic research on the verdict and engaged as a friend of the court. She stressed that in Kosovo’s case some lawyers withdrew due to the lack of financial support from the government. She added that only four days had passed since the verdict, there are protests in Prishtina and people are very concerned about the situation.

Burimi: KosovaPress, Radar Report