The indictment for war crimes against the leader of Kosovo Democratic Party, Kadri Veseli has been confirmed by The Hague- based Specialist Chambers.
Kadri Veseli, the former Parliament speaker is one of the founders of Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA and later also served as the chief of the Kosovo Intelligence Service, a post-war state intelligence organization.
Through a statement issued by Veseli on Thursday, he said that during the day he will be voluntarily travelling to The Hague to face the charges.
Veseli said that he does not see the Kosovo Specialist Chambers as an insult to the Kosovo Liberation Army but as an opportunity to finally answer the false allegations and rumours that have been circulating for many years.
“Ever since Dick Marty published his flawed report, it was inevitable that this day would come. It was inevitable that the unjust accusations he made would have to be tested in a court of law so that they can finally be put to rest. That is why I supported the establishment of this tribunal, and it is why I am now ready to play my part in that process,” Veseli said.
He added that he has every confidence in the objectivity and fairness of the judges, asking everyone in Kosovo to show respect to their judicial authority.
“The process is there to get at the truth. We have nothing to fear from the truth,” Veseli said.
Veseli’s indictment is the third to be confirmed in 24 hours, following the one of the former spokesperson of KLA, Jakup Krasniqi and the former KLA commander Rexhep Selimi.
Krasniqi was arrested after around nine hours raid in his house by the EULEX Police special units.
The presence of the big number of armed forces during the raid in Krasniqi’s house has been criticized by Kosovo politicians and society.
“I would like to thank the Specialist Chambers for extending me the courtesy of an invitation to attend Court, rather than arresting me in an undignified way,” Veseli wrote on his statement.
He added that the process that is beginning before the Specialist Chambers is the final step on our historic journey towards full Statehood.
On April 24, the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) filed a ten-count indictment with the KSC against Kosovo’s president Hashim Thaci and Kadri Veseli. They are indicted for murder, enforced disappearance of persons, persecution, and torture against hundreds of Kosovo Albanians, Serbs, Roma, and other ethnicities.
Thaci, Veseli, and other suspects are alleged to be responsible for nearly 100 murders.
