Osmani Reacts to the Hague Verdict: The KLA, the Proudest Chapter of Our History

Former Kosovo president Vjosa Osmani reacted after the verdict against former KLA leaders in The Hague, stressing that the liberation war remains, in her view, an important part of Kosovo’s history.

“The KLA remains the proudest part of the modern history of our people: yesterday, today and forever!” Osmani wrote.

She mentioned the victims of the war in Kosovo, stressing that over 13,000 people were killed during the war, while about 10,000 of them, according to her, were civilians. Osmani also stressed that more than 1,500 people remain listed as missing.

In her reaction, the former president also mentioned sexual violence, torture, the killing of children and other crimes committed during the war, criticizing Serbia for denying the crimes and for what she describes as a lack of justice for the victims.

Osmani said the people of Kosovo rose up against these crimes and described the KLA as “the army of the people of Kosovo.”

“Today and forever, we will defend the justice of our liberation war,” Osmani said, closing her reaction with the emphasis that the independent and sovereign state of Kosovo is a shared trust.