The Prefect of Tirana County, Shkëlqim Hajdari, shared on social media footage from the rally, conveying the message of the Albanian diaspora in the USA in support of Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi, and Rexhep Selimi.

“All together, for one purpose, freedom for the liberators!” writes Hajdari, emphasizing that Albanians in the diaspora gathered “as a single body” to express solidarity with the former leaders of the KLA, who have been unjustly convicted.

He states that Albanians, regardless of the regions they come from, are united by Kosovo, history, and respect for those who, according to him, fought and sacrificed for its freedom.

“Our message is loud and clear: we do not forget our liberators and we do not forget the sacrifice of the people of Kosovo,” Hajdari says.

The protest in Times Square comes after another rally held on September 12 in the Bronx, where Hajdari and Mark Gjonaj were among the organizers of the protest in support of the former leaders of the KLA. Representatives of KLA veterans’ associations, the Atlantic Battalion, and Albanian organizations from Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and the Presevo Valley also participated in that event.

The Specialized Chambers in The Hague pronounced on September 16 the first-instance judgment against four former leaders of the KLA. Hashim Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi were sentenced to 25 years in prison each, Kadri Veseli to 18 years, and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years, totalling 81 years of imprisonment. The Bench also declared all four defendants not guilty of the charges of crimes against humanity.

In his message from New York, Hajdari concludes with the call “Freedom, justice, dignity! Together for our brothers. Together for the liberators.”

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