The Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office have jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes under Kosovo law in relation to allegations reported in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Report of 7 January 2011.

Following this Report, the European Union decided to establish a Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) in September 2011 to conduct an independent criminal investigation into the allegations contained in the Report, as well as other crimes connected to those allegations.

In the summer of 2014, the SITF announced that the evidence investigated was of sufficient weight to file an indictment. In order to address these allegations, there had to be an adequate institution for proper judicial proceedings.

The Kosovo authorities have agreed with the EU on modalities of dealing with those serious allegations. On 3 August 2015, the Kosovo Assembly adopted Article 162 of the Kosovo Constitution and the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office, following the Exchange of Letters between the President of Kosovo and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in 2014. The Specialist Chambers are attached to each level of the court system in Kosovo – Basic Court, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court and Constitutional Court. They will function according to relevant Kosovo laws as well as customary international law and international human rights law.

The EU has supported the process from the outset and together with other contributing countries (Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States of America) will financially support the work of the court.

The Specialist Chambers comprises two organs, the Chambers and the Registry. The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office is an independent office for the investigation and prosecution of the crimes within the jurisdiction of the Specialist Chambers. The Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office are staffed with international judges, prosecutors and officers and have a seat in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The factsheets and leaflets below provide more information about some of the important aspects of the KSC work, including basic information on the Specialist Chambers' Principals and Judges, its structure and mandate as well as more specific information on the Rules of Procedure and Evidence that entered into force on 5 July 2017. Other factsheets/leaflets deal with the Defence and the Victims’ Participation before the KSC, Court-ordered protective measures, indictment&pre-trial proceedings, the Office of the Ombudsperson and the KSC Outreach Programme.

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All Publications

  • KSC at a glance

    Factsheet

    "KSC At a Glance" provides information about the structure and mandate of the Specialist Chambers. It also specifies its milestones and lists the Court's key documents.

    Download (190.72 KB)

  • SPO at a glance

    Factsheet

    The ”SPO at a Glance” factsheet sets out the mandate of the Specialist Prosecutor’s office, describes the institution’s work, explains the background to its creation, outlines staffing policy and lists relevant documents.

    Download (557.21 KB)

  • Principals and Judges

    Factsheet

    In the publication titled "Principals and Judges" there are more detailed information about the President and the Registrar of the Specialist Chambers, followed by the information on Judges including their names and photos.

    Download (1.6 MB)

  • Rules of Procedure and Evidence

    Factsheet

    More information on the Rules of Procedure and Evidence that entered into force on 5 July 2017 can be found in the publication "KSC Rules of Procedure and Evidence".

    Download (512.69 KB)

  • Victims’ Participation at the KSC

    Factsheet

    The factsheet “Victims’ Participation at the KSC” explains modalities of victims' participation and representation in the KSC proceedings.

    Download (459.5 KB)

  • Defence at the KSC

    Factsheet

    Among the most important rights, suspects and accused at the KSC have the right to Counsel. More details about the Defence at the KSC in the factsheet here.

    Download (480.34 KB)

  • Office of the Ombudsperson

    Factsheet

    The independent Office of the Ombudsperson provides an important safeguard for the human rights of individuals interacting with the KSC. The factsheet provides an overview of the main roles and functions of the Ombudsperson.

    Download (670.73 KB)

  • Outreach at the KSC

    Factsheet

    The Outreach Programme of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) aims to promote understanding of the KSC mandate and proceedings and foster dialogue about it. The factsheet provides detailed information about the Programme and its implementation.

    Download (1.27 MB)