Pristina government forms working group to support KLA leaders

The government in Pristina has established a working group to coordinate legal, institutional, and diplomatic support for former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders convicted of war crimes. The group will be led by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Glauk Konjufca.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti described the first-instance verdicts as ‘legally and morally unjust’ and called for a ‘national strategy’ to manage the appeals process. This follows recent rulings by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, which sentenced Hashim Thaci and Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years in prison, Kadri Veseli to 18 years, and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years.

The Appeals Chamber has extended the deadline for both the defense and prosecution to file appeals until November 27. In response to the convictions, the Assembly in Pristina has also considered draft amendments to the Law on Specialist Chambers, including proposals to narrow the court's jurisdiction and allow sentences to be served within Kosovo.