Speaking ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Oct. 12, Kos criticised changes to the legal framework while judicial proceedings are still under way.

“I want to be clear that amendments to the Law on the Specialist Chambers run counter to Kosovo’s fundamental obligations towards the EU. This is unacceptable,” Kos stated.

Changing the rules while court proceedings are ongoing runs counter to international rule-of-law standards, she added.

“My message is very simple. European enlargement is moving forward. If candidate countries take steps backwards, they are not on the right track and will not be able to become EU members,” she added.

Kos’s remarks came after Kosovo’s parliament approved amendments last week to the law governing the functioning of the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, commonly known as the Kosovo Specialist Court.

The amendments were proposed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) just five days after a Sept. 16 verdict in which the Specialist Chambers sentenced former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders – Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi – to a combined 81 years in prison for war crimes.

All four pleaded not guilty throughout the trial.

The amendments seek to narrow the jurisdiction of the Specialist Chambers by restricting the period covered by the court’s mandate and the categories of criminal offences it can try.

Among other provisions, they would cap prison sentences at 15 years, allow appeals to Kosovo’s Supreme Court and permit sentences to be served in Kosovo.

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Her comments came as closing arguments were delivered in The Hague in the trial of former senior KLA leaders. President Osmani said efforts to draw parallels between the KLA’s struggle and what she described as crimes by the Serbian aggressor distort historical truth and weaken trust in judicial processes.

In a post on social media, Osmani said Kosovo’s citizens seek justice, but stressed that the KLA’s war has been “just.”

“This truth cannot be altered by attempts to rewrite history or to discredit the struggle of the people of Kosovo for freedom,” she said.

Closing arguments began earlier today at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague in the case against former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, former parliament speakers Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, and former lawmaker Rexhep Selimi.

All four face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity and have pleaded not guilty.

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“I’ll be in Europe next week to testify at the special tribunal for war crimes in Kosovo,” Rubin said on Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files with James Rubin, adding that he had helped former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during the founding of the initial war crimes tribunal.

The Hague-based court, established under Kosovo law in 2015, investigates alleged war crimes committed during and after the 1998–99 conflict. It operates with international staff.

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, former parliamentary speakers Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, and ex-MP Rexhep Selimi are currently on trial. All four have pleaded not guilty to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

They have been in detention since November 2020. The prosecution closed its case in April, and the defense is scheduled to begin presenting evidence on September 15.

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