PDK: Government must stop the violence against protesters and pass the law protecting the KLA

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has reacted after the tensions and the use of force against citizens who are protesting for the adoption of the law on the protection of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

In a statement, the PDK condemned what it described as the use of violence against protesters and called on state institutions to immediately stop any action that, in its view, violates the constitutional right to protest.

The PDK stated that the KLA’s war is an inseparable part of Kosovo’s history and identity, demanding that the institutions complete the process of adopting the law that aims to protect the values of the liberation war.

According to the PDK, there is no legal obstacle to adopting this law, and this, it says, has also been confirmed by the Government through its own opinion.

“Further delay is unjustifiable and constitutes a direct disregard of the citizens’ demand,” the party’s statement says.

The PDK stressed that the protesters, including family members of martyrs, invalids and veterans, have a clear demand and that the institutions must respond to them through concrete decision-making.

The opposition party particularly criticised the measures taken against the protesters, describing them as “completely disproportionate and unacceptable.”

According to the PDK, the fact that the protest had been peaceful for 20 days makes the use of force, in its view, even more unjustifiable.

“The citizens’ resistance cannot be treated as a threat, nor used as a pretext for exercising violence,” the statement says.

The PDK also raised concern over the way security institutions are being used, accusing them of being used for political purposes and to suppress the citizens’ protest.

“It is unacceptable that security institutions are being used to the extreme for political purposes or to violently suppress the citizens’ reasonable revolt,” the PDK declared.

Finally, the PDK called on all parliamentary groups and MPs to complete, without delay, the process of adopting the law on the protection of the KLA. According to the party, institutional responsibility in the current situation requires decision-making, respect for citizens and protection of the dignity of the veterans and members of the KLA war, as Telegrafi reports.