Sopjani: The Special Chambers can be dissolved, but constitutional changes pose difficulties

Lawyer Shkëlzen Sopjani said that ending the work of the Specialist Chambers in The Hague is possible, but warned that such a step would require complicated procedures, including intervention in the Constitution.

During the “FIVE” program on Dukagjin, he said that any amendment to Kosovo’s Constitution must also receive the votes of two-thirds of the deputies representing non-majority communities.

Sopjani explained that Amendment 162, adopted specifically for the Specialist Chambers, stipulates that even after their mandate ends, whether through legislation or with the passage of time, unfinished cases will continue to be handled by these chambers. According to him, this provision itself could create an obstacle, as such a case could still be considered ongoing and unfinished.

He stressed that changing the status of the Specialist Chambers would require an in-depth legal review, including an assessment of the consequences that could arise in relation to international actors.

The lawyer also said that, in his view, there is no doubt that the latest judgment was entirely political in nature. He linked it to the previous decisions of the same judge during his time with UNMIK.