“Not in my name”: the 19th protest is held tonight in Pristina, on the eve of the review of the Specialist Chambers law

The 19th protest under the motto “Not in my name” is held tonight in “Skënderbeu” Square in Pristina, against the guilty verdict against the leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

The protests began to be organised on September 16, after the verdict was announced by the Specialist Court in The Hague, a decision that provoked many reactions in Kosovo.

The protesters’ main demand is the fastest possible approval of the bill amending and supplementing the Law on the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office.

Tonight’s protest takes place on the eve of the plenary session of the Assembly of Kosovo, which has been convened for Monday, October 5, at 09:00. As the first item on the agenda is the first review of this bill.

Before the start of the plenary session, at 08:00, the Committee on Legislation will review the bill.

A few days ago, the Government of Kosovo assessed that there are no legal obstacles to the initiative of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) to amend and supplement the Law on the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the PDK’s initiative, the bill foresees changes to the jurisdiction of the Specialist Chambers, including the possibility that cases considered outside their jurisdiction be proceeded in Kosovo.

The proposed changes also include the possibility of an appeal to the Supreme Court of Kosovo, limiting the maximum sentence to 15 years, and the possibility for sentences to be served in Kosovo.

Another proposed change is that persons convicted by the Specialist Chambers may be subject to presidential pardon.

The review of the bill in the Assembly is taking place in a sensitive political period for the country, as the institutions are approaching the end of the constitutional deadline for electing the president of Kosovo.

The Constitutional Court has determined that the 60-day deadline for electing the president began on August 8, after the constitution of the Assembly, and ends on October 6.

If the president is not elected by this date, the Assembly is dissolved and the country goes to new parliamentary elections.

Thus, Monday’s session on amending the Law on the Specialist Chambers takes place only one day before the end of this constitutional deadline, as Telegrafi reports.