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Police clash with Kosovo protesters over plan to curb war crimes court

Twelve injured in Pristina as lawmakers adjourn without passing reforms to Hague-based tribunal that convicted former president

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Police clashed with protesters outside Kosovo's Parliament in Pristina on Monday evening after lawmakers adjourned without passing reforms that would limit the powers of a Hague-based war crimes court. Twelve people were injured, according to a hospital official, as hundreds of demonstrators tried to block politicians from leaving the building.

Several hundred protesters, including supporters and veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army, gathered outside Parliament after the session ended before a second vote on the proposed amendments. Some tried to prevent lawmakers from leaving. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd, while some protesters threw flares and firecrackers. Naser Syla, the emergency director at a Pristina hospital, told The Associated Press that 12 people were injured, including 11 civilians.

The amendments concern the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, founded in 2015 as an independent part of Kosovo's judicial system, based in The Hague and staffed internationally. Critics have accused the court's verdicts of being overly punitive. The proposed changes would limit sentences to 15 years, allow sentences to be served in Kosovo and permit appeals to the self-declared republic's Supreme Court. The changes passed a first reading earlier on Monday, but Parliament adjourned before a second vote could be held.

The legislation follows the September 16 convictions of former President Hashim Thaci and three other former KLA commanders for war crimes committed during the Kosovo War from 1998 to 2000. Thaci was sentenced to 25 years in prison; his co-defendants received terms ranging from 13 to 25 years. All have denied the charges. The rulings prompted weeks of protests and were unanimously condemned by Kosovo's Parliament in late September.

The question of reforming the court has also become tied to the political battle over Kosovo's presidency. The Constitutional Court has ruled that the republic has until October 6 to elect a president; if lawmakers fail to do so, Parliament will be dissolved.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The reforms could weaken accountability for crimes committed during the 1998-2000 Kosovo War, testing how far an internationally staffed tribunal can operate against the wishes of the country it judges.
  • The Thaci convictions have already triggered weeks of protests and now street violence, exposing deep divisions in Kosovo over its wartime history.
  • The court dispute is entangled with a looming constitutional deadline to elect a president, failure of which would dissolve Parliament and force fresh elections.

Background

Kosovo's Specialist Chambers were created to try crimes committed during the Kosovo War, when ethnic Albanian KLA fighters battled Serbian forces. The court was deliberately placed in The Hague with international staff, a structure meant to protect it from local political pressure. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, though Serbia does not recognise it. The September convictions of Thaci and three other former commanders inflamed nationalist sentiment and were unanimously condemned by Parliament, setting the stage for the current reform push.

Key Perspectives

KLA supporters and veterans: See the convictions as unjust punishment of wartime fighters and back reforms that would shorten sentences and allow convicts to serve time in Kosovo. Critics of the court: Argue its verdicts have been overly punitive and that sentencing should reflect local standards rather than international expectations. Defenders of the court: The tribunal's international design was intended to deliver impartial justice, and limiting sentences or allowing appeals inside Kosovo could undermine the independence and accountability it was built to secure.

What to Watch

  • Whether Parliament reconvenes to hold a second vote on the amendments, and whether they pass.
  • The October 6 deadline set by the Constitutional Court for electing a president; missing it dissolves Parliament.
  • Whether protests escalate or recede in coming days, and whether any further injuries or arrests are reported.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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