Protests in support of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders are continuing to unfold alongside the trial at the Specialist Chambers in The Hague. Two lawyers, Skënder Musa and Ardian Bajraktari, say that these protests are demonstrating widespread citizen dissatisfaction with the way this process is unfolding and that public opinion is increasingly convinced that it is an injustice.
After Pristina, The Hague and Tirana, the fourth protest in defense of the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army was held in Strasbourg, France, in front of the General Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Lawyer Skënder Musa believes that the protests are a response to the statements of the head of the Special Court, who had said that the citizens of Kosovo support this court, and they also clearly show that the citizens of Kosovo are convinced of the innocence of the former KLA leaders.
"In fact, the citizens of Kosovo have lost trust in the Special Court, seeing the actions of the prosecutors and members of the trial panel and the president of the trial panel, who have often shown themselves to be prosecutors and not independent, objective arbitrators. In this regard, I believe that even the trial panel and the prosecutors themselves create other situations in reality, because these protests prove that the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo are not against the leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, they believe in their innocence, because they are aware and certain that they did not participate in the commission of any crime for which they are accused. Meanwhile, as far as the formal and legal aspect is concerned, the protests have no weight because they are not evidence in the criminal procedure", said Skënder Musa, lawyer.
Lawyer Ardian Bajraktari believes that the Specialized Court has deviated from the initial idea for which its establishment was requested. He calls the process taking place in The Hague as protracted, with numerous violations, and emphasizes that nationwide opinion is now convinced that injustice is being done to the former KLA leaders.
"In this regard, I see the role and commitment of these protests, which in the final instance are proving that the people are increasingly appreciating the values of the war and its former leaders, and are now convinced that what is happening there is a great injustice, which is being done not only to the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, but also to our fight for freedom in general," said Ardian Bajraktari, lawyer.
This and other protests, in Pristina, The Hague and Tirana, were organized in support of former KLA leaders, who have been held in custody in The Hague for five years. /RTK
