The spokespersons of the Special Court, Michael Doyle and Angela Griep, held a press conference today for journalists from Kosovo regarding the ongoing judicial process in The Hague against former KLA leaders, which has been subject to significant criticism in Kosovo.
The spokespersons stated that the Court is established based on the Constitution of Kosovo, and answers regarding its legitimacy are found in the Constitution of Kosovo. They emphasized that they want people to understand that the role of the Court is to deliver fair, impartial, and independent judgments.
“The Court is established based on the Constitution of Kosovo, which arose from an international agreement with Kosovo. Questions regarding the legitimacy of the Court are answered in the Constitution of Kosovo. However, when it comes to legitimacy, we want people to understand that the role of this Court is to provide fair, independent, and impartial judgments for the individuals that the Special Prosecutor charges, or to protect witnesses and ensure the rights and dignity of victims,” they stated during the press conference.
Furthermore, they emphasized that the Special Court deals only with individual criminal responsibility and that the Specialized Chambers hold “only individuals accountable for the crimes they are charged with in the indictment” and not “ethnic groups, organizations, or communities.”
During this conference, the spokespersons also mentioned the appeal made by the defense of Hashim Thaçi against the judges for the questions they asked the witnesses and for the response that the judges gave to this appeal.
“The judges reminded that according to the Rules of Procedure and the evidence, they are allowed, or even required, to ask questions as it is their duty to determine the truth. Limiting their ability to ask questions would interfere with their role as a neutral fact-finder.”
