Kosovo veterans rally against an EU-backed court prosecuting their former independence fighters
Thousands gathered in Kosovo's capital of Pristina, at the main Scanderbeg Square, to chant in support of arrested former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, or KLA — a Kosovo Albanian guerrilla group that led the pro-independence fight.
The protest was organized by the veterans association known as OVL-UCK under the motto: 'Together against injustice. KLA is glory, not indictment. Today KLA, tomorrow our whole history.'
No violence was reported.
'They are heroes,' read one poster, with the names of the four KLA leaders facing trial at the EU-backed Kosovo Specialist Chambers court, based in The Hague, Netherlands.
'The special court is deforming our history, it is showing injustice toward those who fought for human freedom and dignity,' said Hysni Gucati, head of the veterans' organization.
Since 2020, four top KLA leaders have been in custody by the court — Kosovo's former President Hashim Thaci, former Parliament Speakers Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, and ex-lawmaker Rexhep Selimi. They face charges that include murder, torture and persecution of civilians during and after the war.
The court and an associated prosecutor's office were created after a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, a human rights body, that included allegations that KLA fighters trafficked human organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and fellow ethnic Albanians. The organ harvesting allegations haven't been included in indictments issued by the court.
Two other former KLA members have already been sentenced by The Hague court, including Pjetër Shala. Also, Gucati, and another official of the organization have been convicted by the court in the Netherlands of witness intimidation and obstructing justice.
Some 11,400 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, died during the war, before a NATO bombing campaign forced Serbia to pull its troops out of Kosovo and to cede control of its former province to the United Nations and NATO.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, which was recognized by the United States and most of the West, but not by Serbia or its allies Russia and China. Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia remain high.
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an hour ago
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It was expected to be a key topic Monday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and major European leaders meet with Trump at the White House to discuss ending the 3 1/2-year conflict. 'BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA,' Trump said in a social media post. 'STAY TUNED!' ( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post ) ( Donald J. Trump - Aug 16, 2025, 4:46 AM ET ) A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various… Hammering out a plan for security guarantees Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article 5, at the heart of the 32-member trans-Atlantic military alliance, says an armed attack against one or more member nations shall be considered an attack against them all. What needed to be hammered out at this week's talks were the contours of any security guarantees, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also participated in the summit. Ukraine and European allies have pushed the U.S. to provide that backstop in any peace agreement to deter future attacks by Moscow. 'How that's constructed, what we call it, how it's built, what guarantees are built into it that are enforceable, that's what we'll be talking about over the next few days with our partners,' Rubio said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' It was unclear, however, whether Trump had fully committed to such a guarantee. Rubio said it would be 'a huge concession.' The comments shed new light on what was discussed in Alaska. 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'We welcome President Trump's willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine and the 'coalition of the willing' — including the European Union — is ready to do its share,' she said. Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. for recent signals that it was willing to support such guarantees but said much remained unclear. 'There are no details how it will work, and what America's role will be, Europe's role will be and what the EU can do — and this is our main task: We need security to work in practice like Article 5 of NATO, and we consider EU accession to be part of the security guarantees,' he said. Defending Trump's shift from ceasefire to peace deal Witkoff and Rubio defended Trump's decision to abandon a push for a ceasefire, arguing that the Republican president had pivoted toward a full peace agreement because so much progress had been made at the summit. 'We covered almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal,' Witkoff said, without elaborating. 'We began to see some moderation in the way they're thinking about getting to a final peace deal.' Rubio, who appeared on several TV news shows Sunday, said it would have been impossible to reach any truce Friday because Ukraine was not there. 'Now, ultimately, if there isn't a peace agreement, if there isn't an end of this war, the president's been clear, there are going to be consequences,' Rubio said on ABC's 'This Week.' 'But we're trying to avoid that.' Rubio, who is also Trump's national security adviser, also voiced caution on the progress made. 'We're still a long ways off,' he said. 'We're not at the precipice of a peace agreement. We're not at the edge of one. But I do think progress was made towards one.' Land swaps are on the table Among the issues expected to dominate Monday's meeting: What concessions Zelenskyy might accept on territory? In talks with European allies after the summit, Trump said Putin reiterated that he wants the key Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas, European officials said. It was unclear among those briefed whether Trump sees that as acceptable. Witkoff said the Russians have made clear they want territory as determined by legal boundaries instead of the front lines where territory has been seized. 'There is an important discussion to be had with regard to Donetsk and what would happen there. And that discussion is going to specifically be detailed on Monday,' he said. Zelenskyy has rejected Putin's demands that Ukraine give up the Donbas region, which Russia has failed to take completely, as a condition for peace. In Brussels, the Ukrainian leader said any talks involving land must be based on current front lines, suggesting he will not abandon land that Russia has not taken. 'The contact line is the best line for talking, and the Europeans support this,' he said. 'The constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible, impossible to give up territory or trade land.' — Associated Press writers John Leicester in Le Pecq, France, and Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
