U.S. media and non-governmental organizations have reported on the Kosovo Assembly’s decision to adopt the establishment of a Special Court that will address war crimes allegations. “The court will be based in Kosovo, but most of the work will be done in the Netherlands,” the legal portal Jurist writes. “The work of the court will be similar to operations of the International Court for War Crimes in the former Yugoslavia. The court will be led by international judges and prosecutors, as it is believed that insurgents during the Kosovo conflict may have killed around 400 civilians.”
ABC reported: “It is hoped that the new court, which will mainly try Kosovars responsible for war crimes, will have an impact on further reconciliation between the two countries”.
The Human Rights Watch issued a press release saying, “To make the court operational with a special chamber outside the country, the Assembly needs to adopt the statute of the court and make several legal and constitutional changes. The urgent changes are expected to be made by the new Assembly that will be established after elections due in May. We hope the next Assembly will make these changes and show that Kosovo is led by principles of justice and rule of law.”
