Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha reacted sharply after the decision of the Specialized Chambers in The Hague against the former political leaders of the KLA, presenting it as an unjust blow to Kosovo and to Albanians.
Berisha calls the decision unjust
In his statement, Berisha said the day is a მძიმე one for Albanians, for the families of the former political leaders of the Kosovo Liberation War, and for Kosovo itself.
According to him, the first-instance court in The Hague failed to present anything concrete, apart from claims that he linked to Belgrade’s propaganda.
Accusations of undeserved sentences
Berisha claimed that the former political leaders of the KLA received entirely undeserved sentences, instead of a verdict of innocence.
His position comes at a moment of political and emotional weight for public opinion in Kosovo and Albania, while the Hague decision is expected to generate even broader reactions.
‘There is celebration in Serbia’
In his reaction, Berisha said that these unjust sentences are being celebrated in Serbia and in Belgrade, placing the development also in the context of the political and historical clash between Kosovo and Serbia.
He used this argument to cast doubt not only on the justice of the decision, but also on the political effect that, according to him, it produces in the region.
Highest praise for the KLA war
Despite the decision announced in The Hague, Berisha insisted that the liberation war of the people of Kosovo cannot be darkened.
He described the KLA’s war as the brightest page in Albanians’ efforts for freedom and national dignity, adding that it was fought with NATO’s support and led to Kosovo’s liberation from Serbian occupation.
Berisha’s reaction pushes the debate around the Hague decision even more firmly into the Albanian political arena, where the KLA issue continues to be treated not only as a matter of justice, but also as a test of historical memory and of the relationship with official narratives coming from outside Kosovo.