TIRANA, November 20 – In Shkup/Skopje, North Macedonia, organizers planned a protest before December 22 in defense of former leaders of the Kosova Liberation Army. The announcement came from the chairman of the Kosova War Veterans’ Organization, Hysni Gucati, and the leader of the Democratic Union for Integration in North Macedonia, Ali Ahmeti.

Gucati said the protest would take place before the conclusion of the trial at the Kosova Specialist Chambers in The Hague. He added that organizers coordinated to hold the demonstration in December, with participation from local Albanian communities. He noted that this would be the sixth protest in a series, following demonstrations in Prishtina, Tirana, The Hague, and Strasbourg.

After the meeting with OVL-KLA leaders, Ahmeti said Albanians in North Macedonia also had a moral obligation to join the protest. He described the participation of veterans as a delicate matter and said those who did not feel safe should avoid the event.

Earlier, OVL-KLA organizations held a protest outside the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The demonstration supported former KLA leaders whom organizers said faced unfair trials in The Hague.

In addition, a large protest took place on October 17 in Tirana, demanding justice for former KLA officers. A day before the first defense witness, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Rubin, a protest occurred near the Kosova Specialist Chambers in The Hague. Around 10,000 Albanians from around the world attended.

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