Kosovo Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj has sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in which he forwarded a report on the functioning of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.
This was announced in a statement by the institution, which notes that the letter was also sent to the states financing the Specialist Chambers and was delivered through diplomatic channels, reports KosovaPress.
“This letter, transmitted through diplomatic channels, was sent to the U.S. Secretary of State, Mr. Marco Rubio, as well as to the U.S. Department of Justice. The informational letter was also sent to the foreign ministers of Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, and Canada. The report was forwarded to Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Ms. Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU, Ms. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, Ms. Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr. Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Mr. Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights,” the Ombudsperson Institution said.
In the letter, the Ombudsperson also expressed concerns—according to the statement—about guarantees for a fair trial during proceedings at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, as identified by the “Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales” (BHRC).
The preliminary report by British experts was presented last week by Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj.
“The report identified serious concerns regarding the protection of fundamental procedural guarantees afforded to the accused, in particular the right to a fair, transparent, and impartial trial. These principles constitute fundamental guarantees under international human rights law and international criminal justice. The letter emphasized that the right to a fair trial is enshrined in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, both of which are directly applicable in Kosovo’s legal order through the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo,” the statement further reads.
A few days earlier, Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj presented the preliminary report of the “Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales” regarding the functioning of the Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
The report identified serious concerns and is described as a comprehensive document presented by Qelaj, noting, among other things, that the mandate of the Specialist Chambers has deviated from its initial purpose.
Subsequently, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers stated that only the Ombudsperson of the Specialist Chambers has the mandate over proceedings in this court, not the Ombudsperson Institution of Kosovo.
Following this, the Organization of KLA War Veterans once again raised its voice against alleged violations in the trial of former KLA leaders in The Hague, this time also referring to the report of a British human rights organization, which expressed concern over violations of fundamental rights within the Specialist Chambers.
According to the Organization of KLA War Veterans, this report constitutes clear confirmation that their warnings have been accurate and well-founded.
