Kosovo passes law on war crimes court

Kosovo has yet to initiate its official EU accession.

Following the vote Mustafa promptly called a meeting of his cabinet for late Monday to prepare a draft law on the special court for parliament, which is expected to approve a bill without problem.

“While recognising that this step by MPs of the Kosovo Assembly was not easy, it is a sign of responsibility and determination to establish the truth and make decisions compatible with Kosovo’s European path”, Mogherini said in a statement.

Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians fought a separatist war against Serbia in 1998-99 and seceded in 2008 with strong backing from the United States. Among the alleged crimes were reported abductions, summary executions and the trafficking of prisoners’ organs by KLA members.

The report implicated current Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci, the former political head of the KLA.

Kosovo’s President Atifete Jahjaga said on Monday that the establishment of special court demonstrated Kosovo’s dedication to the principle of justice for all, and was not an attack on the KLA’s wartime struggle.

The website claims that the proposed legislation will have the necessary 80 votes, but that “Thaci fears going to the vote with such a slim majority, and therefore continues to pressure the deputies to convince them to vote “yes”.

“The special tribunal will address the allegations raised by the Council of Europe report and will not pass judgment on our collective endeavours for liberation and freedom”, Jahjaga said.

“We cannot be satisfied as long as those who committed crimes are not punished”, Marko Djuric, Serbia’s chief of office for Kosovo, said in a live interview to RTS broadcaster on Tuesday. It is essential we work to end the culture of impunity wherever it remains.

In May EU judges in Kosovo convicted 11 former Kosovo Albanian guerrillas over their role in the conflict.

Following a heated six-hour debate, 82 lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament backed the amendments that would allow establishment of the court to deal with accusations of war crimes committed against Serbs and other non-Albanians during the conflict, which pitted the pro-independence Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) against Serbian security forces. Kosovo’s Parliament on Monday approved a constitutional amendment to set up a special court to prosecute former leaders over war crimes, including the killing of hundreds of Serb civilians.