Kosovo is facing a critical moment. As the verdict approaches in the war crimes trial of former president Hashim Thaçi and other senior Kosovo Liberation Army figures, questions over justice, accountability and the legacy of the Kosovo war have returned to the centre of public debate.
In this Deep Dive, Alexandra Karppi speaks with Arber Ahmeti, doctoral candidate at the University of Vienna specialising in transitional justice and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. They discuss why the Specialist Chambers were established in The Hague, why they remain so controversial in Kosovo, and whether their work has helped or hindered reconciliation and transitional justice.
They also examine Kosovo’s continuing political gridlock, its impact on relations with the European Union and the United States, and what the country’s domestic instability means for its international ambitions.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Why the Thaçi trial matters
01:24 The Kosovo war and the origins of the Specialist Chambers
03:48 Previous attempts to prosecute war crimes
07:13 Why the Specialist Chambers remain controversial
09:27 The problem of one-sided justice
11:49 Why has the verdict been delayed?
13:27 How could Kosovo react to a guilty verdict?
17:32 Could the verdict reshape Kosovo’s politics?
19:54 Kosovo’s unresolved accountability gap
20:14 Has transitional justice failed?
23:27 Kosovo’s political deadlock explained
26:39 What the crisis means for Kosovo’s EU and international ambitions
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