The Hague Prosecution requested 45 years in prison for each of the former KLA leaders / Albin Kurti reacts

2026-02-09 22:07:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Hague Prosecution requested 45 years in prison for each of the former KLA

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has reacted after the Hague Prosecutor's Office requested 180 years in prison for former KLA leaders. In his reaction on social media, Kurti stated that the KLA was the bearer of a just, protective and defensive war.

He further adds that the Prosecution's request is not based on any international sentencing standards and ignores the context of the war in Kosovo.

Full reaction:

The moral and historical essence of our liberation war consists in the survival and dignity of the people.

The KLA was the bearer of a just, protective and defensive war. It took place in the context of brutal occupation when the violence of apartheid was turning into state genocide.

Any attempt to detach individual actions from this historical and political context risks distorting the truth and meaning of that war.

We have never had a plan to exterminate any other people or civilians. Today's request by the Prosecution in The Hague for a sentence of 45 years in prison for each of the accused KLA leaders is not based on any accepted international sentencing standard. It completely ignores the context of the war in Kosovo and attempts to place this issue in a legal vacuum, detaching the actions from the reality of a liberation war.

The Republic of Kosovo remains steadfast in its belief that the KLA waged a just war and anti-colonial uprising. The institutions of Kosovo will continue to defend the factual and historical truth, the value and dignity of the struggle for freedom, and the fundamental principles of justice, opposing any attempt to distort them.

We recall that the Hague Prosecution has requested 45 years in prison for the former leaders of the KLA, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. Prosecutor West said that no punishment is requested for the KLA General Staff, but for the accused persons, requesting 45 years in prison. The final phase of the trial against Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi began today in The Hague. Closing statements will be held from today until February 18. / CNA