Statement of the Senate of the University of Pristina on Kosovo’s liberation war

The University of Pristina, through a statement, expressed its conviction that justice must be independent, impartial, objective and based on evidence, legal standards and the fundamental principles of due process of law.

In this statement, the University expresses its belief that lasting justice cannot be built on collective prejudices.

“At the same time, the University considers that the history of Kosovo’s war cannot be detached from the political, social and humanitarian context in which it developed. The war of the Kosovo Liberation Army was part of the effort of the people of Kosovo to defend their homes, lives, human dignity, individual and collective freedom, and the right to live free from repression and violence.

This war took place in a context of systematic violence, mass expulsions and the expulsion of Kosovo’s Albanian population, accompanied by grave and systematic violations of human rights and humanitarian law. These developments constitute a documented part of Kosovo’s history and of the context in which its struggle for freedom must be understood. Consequently, any serious treatment of this period must take this historical and humanitarian reality into account. NATO’s support and intervention must be understood in the context of the humanitarian crisis, the widespread violence, the expulsions of the population and the need to protect it,” the statement reads.

The University also refers to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of July 22, 2010, in which the court concluded that Kosovo’s declaration of independence of February 17, 2008 had not violated international law.

“The University of Pristina believes that historical truth must be sought through documents, testimonies, scientific research and open academic debate. The truth about Kosovo’s war must not be built on denial, relativization or the political instrumentalization of history, but on a critical and responsible examination of the facts.

The largest public institution of higher education and scientific research in Kosovo, the University of Pristina remains open and ready to contribute with all its academic, scientific and institutional capacities to documenting, studying and shedding light on the historical truth about Kosovo’s liberation war, about the expulsion and systematic violence exercised against the civilian population, about the experience of the victims and the displaced, and about the path that led to Kosovo’s freedom and statehood.

This is an obligation toward the truth, toward the victims and the generations who experienced the war, but also toward the younger generations who have the right to know the history of their country on the basis of facts, documents and academic standards,” the statement reads further.

The University of Pristina emphasizes that it will continue to defend academic freedom, scientific research and the right to study Kosovo’s history without fear, without pressure and without political interference.

“The University remains ready to make its expertise and academic capacities available to any serious effort aimed at documenting and shedding light on the historical truth about Kosovo’s war, its path to freedom and the building of the state of Kosovo,” the statement concludes, as Telegrafi reports.