The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group walked out of the Assembly’s Legislation Committee meeting on Wednesday, protesting the failure to proceed with the draft law proposing amendments to the Law on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office.
Following the walkout, PDK MP Blerta Deliu-Kodra said the party would not obstruct the functioning of Kosovo’s institutions, but would no longer participate in parliamentary committee meetings until the draft law on the Specialist Chambers is formally processed.
“Today, as the PDK Parliamentary Group, we participated in the parliamentary committees and once again demonstrated that there can be no more important priority today than bringing forward the law on the Specialist Chambers,” Deliu-Kodra said. She added that PDK had demonstrated through its actions that it did not intend to obstruct the functioning of Kosovo’s institutions, but argued that it was “completely unjust” to simulate normality on issues that, in the party’s view, require urgent state action.
Deliu-Kodra said PDK considers the draft law amending the Specialist Chambers legislation a priority not only for her party but for all political parties. PDK submitted its proposed amendments to the Assembly earlier this month, and the initiative was subsequently forwarded to the government for an opinion.
“For the Democratic Party of Kosovo, the draft law amending and supplementing the Law on the Specialist Chambers, in order to protect the Kosovo Liberation Army, must be a top priority. We believe this should also be a priority for all political parties,” she said.
Deliu-Kodra also criticized the government for not including the draft law on the agenda, arguing that several other bills had been processed through accelerated procedures. She said that six bills had been placed on the Legislation Committee’s agenda through accelerated procedures, despite MPs having received the materials only the previous day.
“Today, six draft laws have been brought forward through accelerated procedures, while the draft law on the Specialist Chambers, which should require immediate attention, unfortunately continues to remain in the government’s drawers,” Deliu-Kodra said.
The dispute follows the PDK’s initiative to amend the legal framework governing the Specialist Chambers after the first-instance judgment against former KLA leaders Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. PDK has publicly criticized the judgment and said it intends to pursue legal and institutional measures concerning the court’s legal framework.
