- Title: Veterans protest in Kosovo after former top commanders indicted on war crimes
- Date: 9th July 2020
- Summary: PRISTINA, KOSOVO (JULY 9, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY (KLA) WAR VETERANS PROTESTING WITH ALBANIAN, KLA, USA AND NATO FLAGS KLA EMBLEM ON PROTESTER'S UNIFORM PROTESTER WEARING MASK WITH KLA EMBLAN PROTESTERS HOLDING ALBANIAN, KLA, USA AND NATO FLAGS PROTESTERS LINED UP IN SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) SENIOR MEMBER OF WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION OF KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY, NASIM HARADINAJ, SAYING: "The special court to us is a selective, political, a mono-ethnic and a racist court. To put it simply, they are prosecuting in a selective manner (only prosecuting ethnic Albanians)." KLA FLAG WAVING (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) SENIOR MEMBER OF WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION OF KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY, NASIM HARADINAJ, SAYING: "They (Special Prosecutor's Office) are saying that they are only after the individuals (and not the KLA itself) but this has been revealed when they went after the head and the leaders of the KLA, the pillars on which this state was built on." PROTESTERS STANDING DURING PROTEST (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) SENIOR MEMBER OF WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION OF KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY, NASIM HARADINAJ, SAYING: "We are seeking for this court and the laws it is based upon to be amended so it can go after all the committed crimes (not only Albanians). It was said before that we (KLA veterans) are against the prosecution of committed crimes, this is untrue, we want all crimes to be prosecuted but not selected crimes. All the committed crimes and genocide in Kosovo. It is well-known who had the capabilities to commit crimes (referring to Serbia)." VARIOUS OF VETERANS LINED UP IN PROTEST KLA WAR VETERAN BIKER, SIGN ON JACKET READING (Albanian): "KLA VETERANS, KOSOVO" PROTESTERS STANDING BY STATUE OF ALBANIAN NATIONAL HERO SCANDERBEG PROTESTERS STANDING IN SQUARE
- Embargoed: 23rd July 2020 13:33
- Keywords: Kosovo Pristina Thaci coronavirus protest
- Location: PRISTINA, KOSOVO / INTERNET
- City: PRISTINA, KOSOVO / INTERNET
- Country: Kosovo
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA001CM396IH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) protested in Pristina on on Thursday (July 9) after a special prosecutor's office in the Hague indicted Kosovo's president and other former top KLA commanders for war crimes.
Veteran Nasim Haradinaj accused the prosecutor's office of racism, saying it was only prosecuting ethnic Albanians and not looking at crimes allegedly committed by figures on both sides during Kosovo's 1998-99 uprising against Serbian rule.
The veterans had been planning to hold a mass protest in Pristina but due to a recent spike in coronavirus cases protests of up to 99 people took place across the country.
Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 8) he would travel to the Netherlands on July 13 to be interviewed by the prosecutor's office.
On June 24 the prosecutor's office said it had indicted Thaci, former parliamentary speaker Kadri Veseli and others for murder, enforced disappearances, persecution and torture.
Both Thaci and Veseli have denied the accusations. The indictments are not final and a judge will now take several months to decide whether the cases built by the special prosecutor's office are strong enough to bring them to trial.
(Production: Bardh Krasniqi, Lewis Macdonald, Natasa Bansagi) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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