The Hague: KLA was deliberately changing Kosovo's demographics by killing Serbs

In the indictment against former KLA leaders who are being tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Special Court in The Hague, it is stated, among other things, that in the summer of 1999, attacks on Serbian civilians resulted in up to 50 deaths per week, which were not acts of revenge but a deliberate attempt to impact the demographics and future negotiations on the Kosovo status.

"In the summer of 1999, the attacks on Serb civilians – resulting in 50 deaths a week initially – were not simply revenge, but a deliberate attempt to impact demographics and future negotiations on Kosovo's status. High profile killings and abductions of Kosovo Serbs, as well as forced expulsions, looting and arson, were occurring. The perpetrators operated in an organised fashion, with a form of hierarchy and command and control, and there were clear indications that many of the perpetrators were members of the KLA," the indictment states.

Former Kosovo Minister of Foreign Affairs, Petrit Selimi, wrote on Twitter that "so-called Special Chambers is claiming that the Kosovo Liberation Army were willfully changing demographics of Kosovo by killing Serbs."

"So what we witnessed in 1999/00 weren't revenge attacks by individuals, but a KLA plan," Selimi wrote. 

"It's a nasty, untruthful, and ahistorical claim by the prosecutor. It's rewriting the Kosovo history in a way that only Serbian and Russian propaganda machinery would be served. No justice is served with this narrative," Selimi added.