Ramush Haradinaj, head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and a former KLA member acquitted of war crimes in 2012, called for the release of Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi. They face charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

“First, listen to the statements and testimonies given in court. Although they are far away, we want those on trial to be freed. After all, they are our fellow fighters. Moreover, they are Albanians and should return home.

What is said there, however, is not extraordinary. At that time, we acted as needed, and we served our country. That was the reality then, and therefore, we had to act in that way. Even now, we try to finish our work with a vision. In the future, 20–30 years from now, we want people to see that we served our country. In fact, we served our people.

Even back then, some people criticized us and did not fully understand our actions. For example, during my time as prime minister, not everything earned praise. People appreciated my work with the army and Trepça. On the other hand, some judged certain moves harshly or thought they were unnecessary.

Nevertheless, these actions were part of processes we carried out together with our allies and partners. Eventually, it will become clear that we acted for the people of our country,” Haradinaj said.

The trial began in April 2023. The four former leaders have remained in pre-trial detention since November 2020.

This week, witnesses called by the defense teams have started giving their testimony.