The German Ambassador to Kosovo, Reiner Rudolph, has called for the Specialized Chambers' verdict against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army to be respected.
The special court on Wednesday sentenced Hashim Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years in prison for war crimes, Kadri Veseli to 18 years in prison and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years.
In a post on the social network "Bluesky", the German ambassador said that the presiding judge made it clear during the announcement of the verdict that the KLA was not on trial, nor was its goal of an independent Kosovo.
“Germany has supported the work of the Specialist Chambers from the beginning, convinced that they make an important contribution to confronting war crimes and crimes against humanity, to strengthening the rule of law and to Kosovo’s further approximation to the European Union. With the establishment of the Specialist Chambers and cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Kosovo has proven that it is fulfilling its responsibility, including confronting war crimes, as an independent and sovereign state,” Rudolph wrote.
The German ambassador said that the verdict does not absolve the Yugoslav akers from responsibility for the armed conflict and large-scale human rights violations committed against the people of Kosovo in the late 90s.
“The verdict in no way absolves Yugoslav actors from responsibility for the armed conflict and large-scale human rights violations committed against the people of Kosovo in the late 1990s, which have already been investigated by international courts and which prompted the intervention of the international community. We call on all parties to respect the verdict and the dignity of the victims,” Rudolph said.
