The Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in Kosovo (KMDLNJ) has issued a strongly worded condemnation of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague, branding it “racist” and accusing it of systematically violating the dignity and fundamental rights of Albanians detained there.
In a statement released on 26 December 2025, KMDLNJ described the court as a “reincarnation of the Inquisition in the heart of Europe”, arguing that it brutally undermines human dignity and international human rights standards.
“Anyone who believed the era of the Inquisition was over was gravely mistaken. The Racist Specialist Court is its modern reincarnation, where the dignity of individuals deprived of liberty is brutally violated,” the statement reads.
Alleged Violations and Institutional Silence
KMDLNJ claims that the Specialist Chambers discriminate against Albanian detainees and citizens of Kosovo, while operating in an environment of “informational darkness and denial of basic rights”, despite Europe’s professed commitment to enlightenment and human rights.
The organization also sharply criticized Kosovo’s institutions for failing to act, accusing them of deliberately ignoring abuses:
“Kosovo’s institutions intervene aggressively at all levels of the domestic judiciary, yet when it comes to the Racist Specialist Court, they bury their heads in the sand. While no one asks them to interfere in justice, they have a legal obligation to ensure transparency and accountability.”
Denied Visits and Humanitarian Concerns
As a concrete example, KMDLNJ cited the case of Salih Mustafa (Cali), stating that the denial of a final visit to his father before his death represents a moral collapse of both the Specialist Chambers and Kosovo’s institutions.
The statement further alleges systematic rights violations in cases involving Hysni Gucati, Nasim Haradinaj, Pjetër Shala, Hashim Thaçi, Jakup Krasniqi, and Kadri Veseli, claiming improper treatment and denial of basic detainee rights.
“Stripped of every right, these detainees are enduring a spiritual and human ordeal at the hands of legal bureaucrats in The Hague and their political enablers in Prishtina,” KMDLNJ stated.
International Standards Ignored
According to KMDLNJ, the Specialist Chambers ignore Kosovo’s Constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the UN Nelson Mandela Rules on the treatment of prisoners. The organization described this conduct as the court’s “ugly face” and demanded immediate corrective action.
Call for Accountability and Respect for War Values
In its conclusion, KMDLNJ called on Kosovo’s institutions to defend human rights without exception and to honor the values of the liberation struggle, warning that the current situation represents a moral inversion:
“In Kosovo today, anti-values and anti-national actors hold high state positions, while true values are marginalized or imprisoned.”
