The European Union stated today that the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Specialized Chambers, adopted by the Assembly of Kosovo, is contrary to Kosovo’s international obligations towards the EU and called on Kosovo to respect those obligations.
EU consistently supports the work of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers as an independent judicial institution, established by decisions of the Kosovo Assembly in 2014 and 2015, operating within Kosovo’s legal system and whose status is determined by the Constitution of Kosovo, the statement said, emphasizing that their current mandate and independence must be fully respected.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers administer justice based on the principle of individual criminal responsibility, the statement stressed.
We call on Kosovo to respect its international obligations in order to ensure the independence of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in performing their judicial function, as well as the commitment to establishing accountability and achieving justice for victims and their families from all communities in Kosovo. The protection and security of witnesses must be ensured, added the spokesperson of the EU External Action Service in the statement.
The Assembly of Kosovo, during the night between October 6 and 7, adopted the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which radically narrows the mandate and jurisdiction of that court.
The reason for these amendments were the September verdicts against the leaders of the former KLA, which caused outrage in Kosovo.
Your perspective is part of the story
Read other perspectives and join the conversation.