Kurti says he will discuss with Brussels Special Court

Based on the amendment to the Kosovo Constitution, under which the Specialised Chambers and the Office of Kosovo Specialised Prosecutor at The Hague, known as the Special Court for War Crimes in Kosovo, the five-year term of this institution will expire next year (in 2020).

However, in the Law for ratification of international agreements between Kosovo and the European Union, it is said that the mandate of this court will be completed when the European Union Council will announce Kosovo's institutions, which is confirmed in itself.

Under this institution, although interviews are increasingly frequent, no charges have been filed.

From war veterans' organisations have already started calling for Kosovo's future institutions to refuse to continue the mandate of this court, primarily because they consider it unilateral and, as they say, it will judge only an ethnic community, while, according to them, Serbian crimes in Kosovo will remain uncondemned.

Recognisors of the Kosovo Constitution stress that only a new constitutional amendment can continue the court mandate, while political leaders are warning that this issue will be the subject of discussion in the upcoming legislature in the Kosovo Assembly.

The Court has stressed that no steps are needed for the continuation of the mandate.

Vetevendosje Movement leader Albin Kurti, who is the main contender for Kosovo prime minister, in a statement to Radio Free Europe, emphasises that the new government and he as prime minister will set up two discussions on this issue.

“A parliamentary (discussion) in the Republic Assembly, on the Special Court, which has spent more than 100m euros of European taxpayers and has not filed any charges and left any process to end. And on the other hand, a discussion with Brussels on this unusual establishment of justice. From these discussions, we have to make the merit decision in the coming year”, Kurti said.

Full text at REL.