The Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office Paradox

Abstract

In August 2015 the Assembly of Kosovo, following an international request, passed constitutional amendments and the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office [‘the Law’], marking the legal foundation of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (‘the Specialist Chambers’). However, what has sparked widespread reaction in Kosovo is the narrow jurisdiction of the Specialist Chambers. Therefore, this article argues first that the Specialist Chambers have mono-ethnic jurisdiction, being charged with investigating and prosecuting only one warring party and effectively granting an amnesty to the other. Next it will be argued that the current jurisdiction of the Specialist Chambers ought to be extended to cover all mass atrocities committed during and after the Kosovo war by all warring parties. Finally, the article briefly discusses the indictment against the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, and others vis-á-vis the rejection of the main allegation of the Marty Report, on organ trafficking.