The Assembly of Kosovo has approved in principle the draft law on the amendment and completion of the Law on Specialized Chambers and the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor. The draft law received 91 votes in favor, while the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic League of Kosovo did not participate in the vote. The initiative to change the law has been proposed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo. Before the start of the plenary session, the bill was unanimously approved in the Legislation Committee, with nine votes in favor, none against and no abstentions.
The debate in the Assembly was mainly focused on the competences of the Specialized Chambers and the possibility that some of the issues related to war crimes will be handled by the justice institutions in Kosovo.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the changes should be handled carefully and not hastily, but confirmed that the Vetëvendosje Movement will support the draft law in the first reading. “We are not convinced of the usefulness of this law. We know you believe in it, and we want to believe in your faith.”declared Kurti.
He emphasized that the battle for the cases taking place in The Hague should continue through legal means, describing the Appeal as the main way to overturn the decisions. “Dear colleagues from the Government and members of the Assembly, the address of victory is Appeal. There he emerges triumphant. And for victory, organization and strategy are needed“, Kurti said.
According to him, support for legal changes should serve as a starting point for building a common state and national strategy related to the processes in The Hague. The chairman of the PDK, Bedri Hamza, described the issue of the Specialized Chambers as an issue related to the history and future of Kosovo.
Hamza stressed that the PDK initiative does not aim to close the Specialized Chambers, but requires accountability and a change in the way some issues are handled. “We are not asking to close the Court, we are asking for accountability“, said Hamza.
