Who is who – Shkëlzen Gashi: Former Kurti adviser, threatened to throw a molotov cocktail at his house, criticized the KLA

Over the past 48 hours in Kosovo, the main topic has been Shkëlzen Gashi, a former adviser to current Prime Minister Albin Kurti, following an exhibition based on his book “Massacres in Kosovo 1998–1999”, which was removed from central Pristina after five days.

His interpretation of events sparked controversy within the Albanian public, as he claimed that among the victims were 48 armed Albanians—an assertion that human rights organizations labeled as inaccurate and misleading.

Gashi has previously been in the spotlight, particularly due to his statements about the KLA, which led to death threats. Until 2020, he served as an adviser to Albin Kurti, is known as a strong opponent of the establishment of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (CSM), and had maintained political cooperation with the current Kosovo Prime Minister for years.

Kosovo MFA Purchased Gashi’s Book

In 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo purchased 500 copies of Gashi’s book “Massacres in Kosovo 1998–1999”, on which the controversial exhibition was based, with the aim of distributing it through Kosovo’s diplomatic missions.

Former Adviser to Kurti, Dismissed After Statements on the KLA

Shkëlzen Gashi served as a political adviser to Albin Kurti, who dismissed him from that position in 2020 after Gashi stated:

“Kosovo society should not deny that during, and especially after the end of the war in Kosovo, individuals—frustrated by the horrific crimes of Serbian forces—as well as members of the KLA, including high-ranking ones, were involved in killings of civilians of different ethnic and political affiliations,” Gashi said in an interview for the Zagreb weekly Novosti.

He added at the time that the KLA was not a criminal organization, “but unfortunately, individuals from its ranks, including leaders, were involved in crimes.”

“As the American prosecutor Clint Williamson has stated, these individuals misused the KLA’s weapons and infrastructure to commit wrongdoing. Members of the KLA should distance themselves from individuals who were involved in crimes,” he said.

Mentioned in The Hague, Claims of Security Threats

The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, in its case against Hashim Thaçi and other former KLA leaders, included a statement by Shkëlzen Gashi, who had publicly stated on several occasions that individuals within the KLA committed crimes.

According to the indictment, Jakup Krasniqi and key members of the veterans’ association considered Gashi a collaborator and supporter of Serbia because of these statements, which allegedly endangered his safety and led to him losing his job.

Gashi: Shocked by Defense in The Hague

Gashi told T7 that he was shocked by what he heard from the defense of former KLA leaders before the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, as their lawyers denied that the accused had led the KLA.
According to Gashi, the defense lawyers denied that the accused were part of the KLA General Staff or that they had any authority over soldiers.

Gashi: If Kurti Establishes the CSM, I Will Target His House with a Molotov Cocktail

In 2023, Gashi stated that he would throw a Molotov cocktail at Albin Kurti’s house if the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities were established.

“We all here know how to read and write. If it turns out that Kurti, in the final document, grants powers to Serbs identical to those in the 2013 and 2015 agreements, I will not stop at criticism in the studio or protests,” Gashi said.

He added that he would do what, according to him, Kurti himself had previously advocated:

“I will go to his house in the Taslixhe neighborhood and throw Molotov cocktails,” Gashi stated.
Called on German Ambassador to Pay €200,000 for Restoration of Xhafer Deva’s House
In 2022, Gashi called on the then German Ambassador in Pristina, Jörn Rohde, to personally allocate €200,000 for the restoration of the house of Xhafer Deva, a collaborator with Nazi Germany during World War II.

He stated that the German ambassador had initiated the debate on halting the renovation project and added that he was therefore obliged to provide the funds, claiming that he had forced two organizations to withdraw from the project.

Gashi also stated that the house where politician Fadil Hoxha had lived should likewise be renovated.