President expected to return law on Specialist Chambers to Assembly today

Media sources within the Presidency say Kosovo’s president, Justina Shiroka-Pula, is expected to return the Law on the Specialist Chambers to the Assembly today for reconsideration.

Before the law is sent back to the Assembly, the president is expected to meet with representatives of political parties. The law is expected to be returned for reconsideration after this meeting.

The Assembly passed the law on October 6 with 88 votes from lawmakers. It was then sent to the new president on October 15 for promulgation.

Under the approved amendments, the maximum sentence is capped at 15 years, and sentences may be served in Kosovo. The amendments also provide for presidential pardons and the right to appeal to the Supreme Court on matters concerning the jurisdiction of the Specialist Chambers.

The European Union has raised concerns about whether these amendments comply with Kosovo’s international obligations.

The president’s return of the law would trigger its reconsideration in the Assembly. Constitutional procedures allow the president to return a law for reconsideration only once; if lawmakers approve it again, the process continues under constitutional rules.