Legislation Committee gives green light to amendments to the law on the Specialist Chambers

By unanimous vote, the Legislation Committee approved amendments to the Law on the Specialist Chambers and the Office of the Specialist Prosecutor. The draft law is expected to be considered at first reading during the extraordinary session of the Assembly, which has been called for 9:00 a.m.

Vigan Qorolli, chair of the Legislation Committee from Vetëvendosje, announced that the committee had received the opinion of the Ministry of Justice and that, according to him, the initiative met the required standards.

Qorolli said that LVV lawmakers would support the draft law, stressing that the committee must act carefully and that the Kosovo Liberation Army’s just war constitutes the most glorious part of their identity.

During the meeting, committee members called on lawmakers to unite in voting to approve the amendments to the law.

Committee member Përparim Gruda of the PDK explained that changing the Constitution requires a double majority, which is why a solution has been proposed that does not affect the highest legal act. According to him, the amendments would remove part of the Specialist Court’s jurisdiction over war crimes, a competence that was not part of the original purpose of its establishment.

Gruda also said that the law would not be subject to review by the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, while the relevant competence had been transferred to the Constitutional Court in Pristina. He said that this solution preserves Kosovo’s international obligations and enables other proceedings for war crimes to take place and be adjudicated in Kosovo.

Regarding the case against Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi, Gruda said that the matter would also proceed to appeal in The Hague, but that if there were proceedings at a third level, it would return to Kosovo.

Besnik Tahiri, a committee member from the AAK, called on lawmakers to approve the law during the day in both readings. He stressed that legal amendments based on legal standards are common and that laws adapt over time.

Tahiri added that the experience gained from the proceedings shows the need for the institution to reflect, while rejecting the claim that the Specialist Court acts on behalf of the people and questioning local representation within it.