Kosovo President Justina Shiroka-Pula has officially returned to the Assembly a new law amending the legislation governing the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, according to a document obtained by Gazeta Express.
In a document sent to members of parliament, Shiroka-Pula forwarded her decision to return the law for reconsideration and instructed the relevant parliamentary committee to review it and submit a report with recommendations.
“The Committee on Legislation, Mandates, Immunities, the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and Oversight of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, as the responsible reporting committee, is tasked with reviewing the attached decision and presenting a report with recommendations to the Assembly,” the document states.
The President also sent the decision to Assembly Speaker Albulena Haxhiu.
In her reasoning, Shiroka-Pula said she had initially expressed her willingness to promulgate the law in accordance with her constitutional powers. However, she explained that she had held and continued to hold consultations with representatives of relevant state institutions and political stakeholders.
“Bearing in mind the sacrifice, commitment and contribution of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and its fallen members in the struggle for Kosovo’s freedom and independence, upon receiving Law No. 11/L-001 amending and supplementing Law No. 05/L-053 on the Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, I expressed my willingness to promulgate it in accordance with my constitutional powers,” the President stated.
She also referred to the Kosovo Assembly’s declaration of September 28, 2026, concerning the Specialist Chambers’ verdict against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi.
Shiroka-Pula said she supported the declaration’s position against attempts to distort Kosovo’s historical truth, question the liberation character of its war or equate the people who fought for freedom and survival with the regime that oppressed them.
The President further noted that the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), which sponsored the legislation, had formally requested that the Assembly be given an opportunity to reconsider it.
According to the document, on October 22, 2026, she received an official proposal from the PDK parliamentary group calling for further examination of the law’s provisions, particularly those relating to the jurisdiction and mandate of the Specialist Chambers and the protection of the constitutional rights of individuals standing trial before the court.
Shiroka-Pula said her consultations were intended to coordinate institutional and diplomatic efforts to document, protect and affirm the historical truth about the KLA and its role in Kosovo’s struggle for freedom. These efforts, she added, also concerned safeguarding the rights and interests of fallen KLA members whose cases are being heard by the Specialist Chambers.
“Taking all the above into consideration, Law No. 11/L-001 amending and supplementing Law No. 05/L-053 on the Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office is returned to the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo for reconsideration,” the decision concludes.
