Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) President Ekaterina Trendafilova met yesterday online with Kosovo civil society and with journalists. During these events, she provided an update on the status of the cases currently before the court, and she answered questions.
President Trendafilova talked about how the structure of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers mirrors each level of the court system in Kosovo, while the court operates according to a separate law, adopted by the Kosovo Assembly, and its own rules of procedure and evidence.
“The creation of such unique and self-contained chambers was premised on the need to ensure that the proceedings take place independently and impartially, free of any political interference and would thus protect the safety and security, life and well-being of potential witnesses and victims,” Trendafilova said.
The KSC President also explained how the rights of defendants before the KSC are protected through the process of appeal. She briefed about the recent Supreme Court decision in the Salih Mustafa case, explaining that, “This is an example of how different levels of appeal in our system, that is the system of the Kosovo judiciary, is a properly functioning judicial system. That is how it should be.”
In her discussion with civil society, President Trendafilova was asked about court sessions which are closed to the public. Emphasizing the importance of transparency, she explained the different measures which are taken by the judges to ensure that proceedings are as public as possible, and also explained that when sessions are closed to the public it is done for the protection of witnesses.
“We have to take care of people who decided to come and to testify before the court. One of the reasons for the relocation, one of the reasons for these specific elements, is to really protect people, and since my first visit to Kosovo, I always used to say that even the best judgment, the most brilliant judgment, wouldn’t be worth a penny if that would be at the expense of the safety and the security of people,” the KCS President said.
Outreach has been a priority of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers since the beginning of the court’s operation. Since 2018, the KSC has held over 180 events in Kosovo in cooperation with civil society, reaching about 4,000 citizens directly. At these events students, lawyers, community representatives and others have the chance to ask questions, express their views and here directly from court representatives about developments in The Hague. The Outreach Programme has been financed by Switzerland since 2018.
