Kosovo president returns law on Special Chamber — Balkan Insight
Kosovo President Justina Shiroka-Pula has returned to parliament for reconsideration a law that provides for limiting the jurisdiction and mandate of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. The Democratic Party of Kosovo, which initiated the document, submitted the relevant proposal, Balkan Insight reports.
Reconsideration of the law
The law was initially approved less than three weeks ago. It was preceded by weeks of street protests by veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army. The participants demonstrated under the slogan “not in my name,” reacting to a judge’s formula of delivering a verdict on behalf of the people of Kosovo.
The president’s office stated that Shiroka-Pula opposes attempts to distort the historical truth about Kosovo, call into question the liberation nature of the war, or equate those who fought for freedom and survival with the regime that oppressed them.
Democratic Party of Kosovo MP Perparim Gruda, who took part in drafting the document, said that he sees no mistakes in the law amending the law on the Specialist Chambers.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Sentences for former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders
The law was adopted after the Specialist Chambers found four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army guilty of war crimes, including unlawful imprisonment, cruel treatment, torture and murder, committed between April 1998 and June 1999.
Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Jakup Krasniqi were each sentenced to 25 years in prison. Kadri Veseli received 18 years in prison, while Rexhep Selimi received 13 years. Their time in custody since November 2020 will be credited; the verdict can be appealed, and the defense is working on an appeal.
Following the law’s initial approval, the European Union stated that it contradicts Kosovo’s international obligations to the EU. The Union finances most of the operations of the Specialist Chambers, which are formally part of Kosovo’s judicial system but are located in The Hague and staffed by international personnel.
