03.06.2021 – 20:05
The deputies of the Assembly of Kosovo have unanimously approved today the Draft Law “On Supplementing and Amending the Criminal Procedure Code” which will pave the way for the investigation and trial of war crimes in Kosovo.
68 deputies were in favor of these changes, none against and no abstentions.
Since the end of the war in 1999, war crimes have been investigated by foreign judges and prosecutors, and since 2015, Kosovo institutions have taken on this role.
From 2000-2008, UNIMK was the authority that dealt with war crimes cases. This mission has filed indictments against 3 Serbs, 19 Albanians and a Montenegrin, but for all these cases it has convicted only one person for war crimes.
Following the completion of the UNMIK mission, responsibilities in this area were transferred to the European Union EULEX mission, which operated from 2009-2018. But this mission had executive powers until 2014.
EULEX during this period has filed war crimes indictments against 11 Serbs, 39 Albanians, a Montenegrin and a person from the RAE community. Whereas after the transfer of competencies to the Kosovo authorities, in 2014, the Special Prosecution of Kosovo has filed until June 2020 indictments for war crimes against 39 persons.
About 13,500 people lost their lives during the war in Kosovo, while 1,600 are still considered missing.
CONTINUE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE TOPIC
