The Special Court for Kosovo in The Hague holds its final hearing today. Four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi  deliver their closing statements. Each of them has 20 minutes to speak.

The defense team demands full acquittal. In contrast, the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office asks for 45 years in prison for every defendant on war crimes charges.

Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Glauk Konjufca, attends the session in person. Speaking outside the courtroom, he denounces what he calls “brutal violations of human rights.” “We hope the verdict reflects the history and honor of the Kosovo Liberation Army,” Konjufca says.

Konjufca calls the trial “a process that lasted far too long.” He reminds reporters that Thaçi once served as president, Veseli and Krasniqi as parliamentary speakers, and Selimi as a KLA general and political leader.

He argues that the lengthy process itself represents injustice.“They already face unfair punishment because the trial took too long,” he explains. “This delay violates a basic human right — the right to a fair and timely trial, guaranteed by the UN and European conventions and our Constitution.”

According to Konjufca, the KLA leaders have spent over five years in isolation, away from their families and homeland. He calls this “a severe breach of justice.”

Konjufca also repeats Vetëvendosje’s criticism of the Special Court.“We have long questioned this court. It focused unfairly on the KLA and treated it as an ethnic case,” he says.

Finally, Konjufca defends Kosovo’s liberation struggle.“Our war was just and defensive,” he declares. “The KLA never targeted civilians. Its fight was against the Serbian police and army — the occupying forces responsible for genocide. They killed more than 12,000 citizens of our Republic. No institution can change that truth.”