After the decision of the Specialist Chambers in The Hague sentenced Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years in prison, the first reaction from the family came through his son, Altin Krasniqi. In a post on social media, he said that he had met his father and conveyed the message that, according to him, Krasniqi gave after the verdict was announced.
The message conveyed after the visit
Altin Krasniqi wrote that the meeting with his father took place immediately after the decision in The Hague. In his public reaction, he said that Jakup Krasniqi thanked Albanians for the support given to what he called the just war of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
In the same message, he added that his father and the other former KLA leaders are “strong, proud and with a clear conscience” about their activity.
How the family presents the decision from The Hague
According to Altin Krasniqi’s reaction, the family does not see this decision as a punishment of the accused, but as a blow against Kosovo. He wrote that “this is not a punishment for them,” arguing that their victory, in his view, is linked to June 1999 and to Kosovo’s declaration of independence on February 17, 2008.
In the same post, he described the verdict as “a punishment for the people and the state of Kosovo,” while emphasizing that the KLA “is and will remain our pride.”
The decision and the political weight of the reaction
The reaction comes at a sensitive political and social moment, as the decision of the Specialist Chambers affects one of the best-known figures of the former KLA leadership. The family’s statement places emphasis on the legitimacy of the KLA’s war and on the political interpretation of the sentence.
At this stage, Altin Krasniqi’s public reaction remains a family and political stance toward the verdict, while the decision announced in The Hague remains the central point of the debate that has followed in Kosovo and beyond.
The message from Jakup Krasniqi’s son presents the sentence not simply as a personal matter, but as a clash with a broader narrative about the KLA war and its place in Kosovo’s history.
For now, this is the most direct reaction to come from the family after the announcement of the 25-year prison sentence.