The Kosovo Assembly on Monday approved in first reading, with 91 votes in favor, a draft law amending and supplementing the Law on Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office.
The draft law was approved during an extraordinary Assembly session after receiving unanimous support in principle from the Committee on Legislation.
The initiative to amend the law was proposed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) on September 21, several days after the Specialist Chambers in The Hague issued its verdicts against four former senior Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) figures.
The proposed amendments address several issues related to the functioning and jurisdiction of the Specialist Chambers, including provisions that could allow certain cases outside the Chambers’ jurisdiction to be handled in Kosovo.
The draft also provides for the possibility of appeals before the Supreme Court of Kosovo, limits the maximum prison sentence to 15 years, and foresees the serving of sentences in Kosovo.
Another proposed provision would allow individuals convicted by the Specialist Chambers to potentially be subject to a presidential pardon.
The PDK has argued that the amendments are intended to increase oversight and accountability regarding the work of the Specialist Chambers, emphasizing that the initiative is not aimed at dissolving the institution.
On October 2, the Kosovo Government concluded that there were no legal obstacles to proceeding with the draft law. Earlier on Monday, the Assembly also approved a waiver of the regular parliamentary procedures and deadlines for considering the legislation.
On September 16, the Specialist Chambers in The Hague sentenced Hashim Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi to 25 years in prison each, Kadri Veseli to 18 years and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years for war crimes. All four were acquitted of crimes against humanity. Their defense teams have announced that they will appeal the verdicts.
