Gani Geci

Gani Geci (born 1968) is a Kosovar Albanian former politician and veteran of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK).Geci was active in the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) youth wing in the 1990s and fought in the UÇK during the 1998–99 Kosovo War. After the war, he entered politics and was elected to the Assembly of Kosovo around the time of the 2008 declaration of independence. He signed the 2008 Kosovo Declaration of Independence as an Assembly member. Geci later served as a deputy (MP) in the Assembly for the Dardania Democratic League (LDD) faction of the LDK.

Early life and education Geci was born on January 20, 1968 in the village of Llaushë in the municipality of Skenderaj (then Kosovo, Yugoslavia). He earned a degree in law at the University of Pristina (Faculty of Law). In the late 1980s and 1990s he was active in the LDK youth organization, and in 1998 he became president of the LDK Youth Forum in Skenderaj. During this period he became close to LDK leader Ibrahim Rugova and later protected him. One report notes that during the war Geci’s family was targeted by other UÇK figures: his brother Esati was wounded on orders of Sabit Geci, a rival commander, in 1998.

Kosovo War involvement During the 1998–99 conflict with Serbian forces, Geci fought as a member of the UÇK in the Drenica region. His comrades described him as “one of our most active fighters” against the Serb occupation, noting that he was present at the battles around Prekaz during the final Serbian offensive. (Time already served in custody was credited toward this sentence.) These events have been extensively covered by Kosovar media.

As Kosovo has grappled with alleged UÇK war crimes, Geci has become a vocal figure around the war-crimes court (the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague). In 2018 he publicly announced that he had been invited by the Specialist Prosecutors for questioning. He stated that he would comply without a lawyer and would “defend the war for freedom” in The Hague.

In November 2018 Geci confirmed that there are five murders for which he will testify at the Special Court in The Hague.

Following his brother Fadil Geci’s testimony at the Hague tribunal in the trial against former KLA leaders, including Hashim Thaçi, Gani Geci publicly condemned the appearance of defamatory graffiti in Pristina targeting his brother. Geci criticized those he believes are behind the graffiti, alleging connections to pro-Thaçi circles, and reiterated his willingness to testify himself at the Hague. He further claimed that statements by Hashim Thaçi’s brother, Gani Thaçi, contributed to the events leading to the killing of the Jashari family.

Public image and media Gani Geci has maintained an active social media presence (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram) where he frequently shares memories of the Kosovo War and comments on current politics. He has given numerous interviews to Kosovo news outlets, often speaking about his wartime experiences and legal battles. For example, his 2013 conflict with Azem Syla was broadcast on Klan Kosova television. His statements about the Specialist Chambers have been reported by Telegrafi and Insajderi.