Thousands In Kosovo March Against War Crimes Trials On 18th Anniversary Of Independence Declaration

PRISTINA, Kosovo — An aerial of defiance marked Kosovo’s independency celebrations connected Tuesday arsenic thousands of group joined a march successful support of erstwhile fighters who are facing proceedings astatine a Netherlands-based tribunal for alleged warfare crimes during a 1998-1999 separatist warfare from Serbia.

Protesters, galore wrapped successful reddish and achromatic Albanian flags, braved acold and snowy upwind successful nan capital, Pristina, to sound their guidance to nan proceedings successful The Hague against erstwhile president and rebel leader Hashim Thaci and 3 others accused of atrocities during and aft nan conflict that killed immoderate 13,000 people.

Earlier connected Tuesday, Kosovo’s information forces paraded successful Pristina arsenic portion of nan independency ceremonies, and Parliament held a typical session.

The warfare started successful 1998 erstwhile nan rebel Kosovo Liberation Army launched its struggle for independency and Serbia responded pinch a sadistic crackdown. The warfare ended aft NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days successful 1999, yet forcing it to propulsion retired its troops from nan territory.

Serbia still does not admit nan 2008 declaration of independency of Kosovo and this has been a root of persistent hostility successful nan volatile Balkan region. As some Kosovo and Serbia activity European Union membership, they person been told they must normalize ties earlier joining.

Prosecutors astatine nan Kosovo Specialist Chambers successful The Hague — which formally is portion of Kosovo’s judicial strategy though seated overseas — person asked for a maximum 45-year situation condemnation for Thaci and nan different defendants. Thaci besides faces a abstracted proceedings connected charges of intimidating witnesses that will statesman later this month.

Officials and protesters successful Kosovo person criticized nan proceedings arsenic governmental and designed to onslaught a mendacious equilibrium pinch Serbia whose governmental and subject leaders antecedently had been tried and convicted of warfare crimes successful Kosovo by a abstracted U.N. court.

Protesters astatine Tuesday’s march held banners reference “History cannot beryllium rewritten” and “Freedom for nan liberators.” They arranged metallic fences astir a landmark independency monument and placed a motion reference ”Kosovo successful Prison” connected apical of it.

President Vjosa Osmani said successful a connection that “truth cannot beryllium changed by attempts to rewrite history aliases to tarnish and devalue nan struggle of Kosovo’s group for freedom.”

Prime Minister Albin Kurti added that “the KLA-led warfare was pure, liberation (struggle) and an anti-colonial warfare ... a conscionable struggle of an occupied and oppressed group nether apartheid.”

In Belgrade, a Serbian authorities liaison agency for Kosovo described nan independency declaration 18 years agone arsenic a “flagrant usurpation of world law.” The connection alleged “systematic terror” and persecution against number Serbs successful Kosovo.

The United States and astir EU countries are among much than 100 nations that person recognized Kosovo’s independency while Russia and China person backed Serbia’s declare connected nan territory.

Thaci resigned from agency successful 2020 to take sides himself against nan 10 charges of crimes against humanity and warfare crimes.

The tribunal and an associated prosecutor’s agency were created aft a 2011 study by nan Council of Europe, a quality authorities body, pursuing allegations that KLA fighters trafficked quality organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and chap taste Albanians. The organ harvesting allegations haven’t been included successful indictments issued by nan court.

Cimili writes for nan Associated Press. AP writer Jovana Gec contributed to this study from Belgrade, Serbia.