Përparim Gruda: The establishment of the Specialist Chambers is no reason for regret

PDK lawmaker Përparim Gruda said Kosovo has no reason to regret the vote that led to the establishment of the Specialist Chambers, despite the first-instance conviction of former KLA leaders.

Gruda said it was impossible to predict such a violation of standards by judges educated in the West and by a court established in the West.

According to him, establishing a mechanism that violates every European principle of justice constitutes a betrayal of Kosovo. He stressed that responsibility does not lie with those who established the Specialist Chambers, but with the people committing the violations, adding that there should be no regret over its creation.

Regarding the PDK’s new draft law, Gruda explained that second-instance proceedings would be completed in The Hague, because the defense hopes to have the procedural violations overturned. He said the draft law provides for the third instance at the Supreme Court, as well as any potential retrial, to take place entirely in Kosovo, alongside the creation of an international and parliamentary oversight mechanism.