Former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army have been convicted by the Special Court in The Hague.

Analyst Ermal Hasimja in an interview on the show First Minute on News24 said that he did not expect the sentences and that he hoped for lighter measures. According to him, many Albanians have wished that the former KLA commanders were free.

Hasimja said that there were violations during the trial. He also stated that the Special Court aimed to tarnish the Kosovo war. The analyst opposed any equation between the crimes of Serbian forces in Kosovo and the actions for which the former KLA leaders were convicted.

In the end, he stated that he hopes for the sentence to be reduced on appeal for the commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Analyst Ermal Hasimja: I did not expect the sentences for the former KLA leaders. I hoped that there would be sentences in the amount of detention and that way they could be released. Every Albanian has wanted to see the KLA commanders free. It is the bitter reality and what our wishes are. The court has committed flagrant violations. The court aimed to tarnish the war in Kosovo. It did not succeed with the Albanians, but with cynicism, many historians now say that Serbs, but also Albanians, were punished for the war. Unfortunately, there is no difference, because the Serbs came to Kosovo and committed crimes, while the Albanians defended their country. There is no science that can say that Serbian crimes are the same as those committed by the commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.