Pristina: OVK Veterans Demand Gervala's Removal

The War Veterans Organization of the Kosovo Liberation Army (OVK) gathered several thousand people at Skenderbeg Square in Pristina at noon today, the second such rally in two days, and read out four demands to the authorities from the stage. The first is to repeal or amend the law on the Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, the second is the removal of Justice Minister Donika Gervala, the third is additional financial support for the defense of the former OVK leaders, and the fourth is engaging the best legal experts from around the world for their defense.

The rally was organized under the slogan “In Defense of the OVK,” alongside the message “Not in My Name,” which has been spreading through protests and social media since the first instance verdict. Kosovo Police said the gathering ended peacefully at 12:40 p.m., while the KoSSev portal reported that the protest lasted until around 12:45 p.m. The one or two minute difference is not significant on its own, but it shows that even the official and media accounts of today’s events do not fully match.

Unlike the incidents that followed immediately after the verdict was announced, when demonstrators threw stones and fireworks at the Government building and the EULEX premises, today’s rally passed without clashes. It was preceded by a police warning this morning that participants should not wear masks or throw solid objects, as well as a meeting between police and OVK veterans’ representatives to coordinate.

Gucati Accuses Gervala of Staying Silent

Hisni Gucati, president of the War Veterans Organization of the OVK, addressed the justice minister in the sharpest terms. He claimed, without presenting evidence, that Gervala had previously handed over documentation to the court in the Hague.

“Today we are surprised that the institutions have not said a single word. Instead of Donika Gervala making a statement about the injustice done to the liberators, she is silent today. We know that Donika Gervala handed over documents to the Hague, we know that Ljiburn Aljiju spoke in the Assembly. We are telling Aljbin Kurti to remove these people from the Government. People who cooperate with the enemy are enemies of the country and the nation, and we do not want them among us,” Gucati said.

Gervala currently serves as Kosovo’s second deputy prime minister, and criticism directed at her has continued since she, according to the protest organizers, made no public statement on the verdict.

PDK Announces Move in Parliament

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Bedri Hamza, who attended the rally together with his party’s lawmakers, again called the verdict unjust and political. He announced “democratic” and legal steps, expecting them to be spelled out that same day in the Assembly. According to KosovaPress, citing its own sources, the PDK was expected to submit amendments to the Law on Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office that same day.

PDK lawmaker Arian Tahiri said opposition to the verdict would continue institutionally as well, calling on all parliamentary parties to take a joint position. The show of unity was undercut, however, by internal political disputes: PDK lawmaker Ganimete Musljiju demanded, speaking in her own name as she put it, the resignation of Dimalj Basa and the withdrawal from politics of Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) lawmaker Anton Cuni. NISMA leader Fatmir Ljimaj went a step further and questioned the integrity of the judge who presided over the trial panel, claiming he had “carried out political orders,” also without presenting evidence.

Last Night’s Rally and a Call Not to Stay Silent

Today’s protest was preceded by an evening rally on September 17, held under the same slogan “Not in My Name,” at which the sons of two of the convicted men spoke. Altin Krasnici, son of Jakup Krasnici, called for the proceedings to be reviewed.

“The evidence must be examined impartially, the testimonies must be assessed fairly, and no one should be convicted on the basis of fabricated and manipulated evidence,” Krasnici said.

Kljestor Veselji, son of Kadri Veselji, briefly addressed the crowd, saying “Today we are listening to the people, to hear what they have to say,” without commenting on the verdict itself. The organizer of the evening rally, Cljirim Haziri, called for the protests to continue “without stopping, until the convicted men return.”

What Preceded the Protests

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers, sitting in the Hague, sentenced Hasim Taci and Jakup Krasnici to 25 years in prison each at first instance on September 16, along with Kadri Veselji to 18 years and Redzep Seljimi to 13 years, 81 years in total. All four were found guilty of war crimes, including arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and murder, while they were acquitted of crimes against humanity. Over the previous two nights, some demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the EULEX building, which also houses the Specialist Chambers’ office, as well as at the Government building, and there was also an attempt to break through the police cordon. The United States Embassy issued a security warning for its staff and citizens over this, recommending they avoid Skenderbeg Square.

This newsroom previously reported that the mobilization following the verdict had also spread to the education system, after Pristina’s education directorate requested that OVK flags be placed at the entrances of all public schools in the capital.

Law and Constitution Do Not Automatically Align

The demand raised at the protest was framed as repealing or amending the law itself, but the court’s legal foundation is broader than that. The Specialist Chambers were also established by Article 162 of Kosovo’s Constitution, alongside a separate law, and amending the Constitution requires a two-thirds majority of all lawmakers, including two thirds of the lawmakers holding guaranteed seats for non majority communities. The Specialist Panel of Kosovo’s Constitutional Court stated back in 2020 that the mandate of the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office lasts until the Council of the European Union notifies Kosovo of its conclusion. In other words, amending the law alone would not automatically remove the court’s constitutional basis or end its mandate.

Whether the proposal the PDK announced today in the Assembly will secure a two-thirds majority in a parliament where the parties have not even agreed on the composition of the government, and how Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti, with whom Hamza spoke separately about possible next steps ahead of the protest, will respond to it, is still an open question.