Nagavci: I do not understand what PDK is seeking to achieve; amendments to Specialist Chambers Law will not produce results

Arberie Nagavci, head of the Self-Determination Movement parliamentary group, said that the objective of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) regarding amendments to the Law on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers was unclear to her, adding that such amendments could neither change the Constitution nor alter the international obligations previously undertaken by Kosovo, Teve 1 reports.

Nagavci questioned both the proposed amendments and the justifications offered for them.

“Our reservations concern the fact that neither the Constitution nor the international obligations established a decade ago can be changed through amendments to a law. Frankly speaking, it is still unclear to me what the PDK intended to achieve with this. Although demands for amendments emerged and additional provisions were introduced, the explanations for amending a law that the Assembly had already adopted remained superficial and unclear,” Nagavci told Teve 1.

She suggested that there may have been conflicting views within the PDK over the initiative.

“We noticed that MP Perparim Gruda was the one who advocated for this draft law and carried most of the burden, while other MPs were simultaneously calling for certain changes. I cannot say whether this was a deliberate move, a change in their personal convictions, a hasty decision, or simply an attempt to send a signal that they are addressing past mistakes and the damage that was done. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that this will not produce any tangible results,” Nagavci said.

According to her, the Government fulfilled its formal obligation to provide an opinion on the proposed legislative amendments, which were also considered by the competent parliamentary committee.

She stressed that Self-Determination had clearly expressed its reservations, noting that the issues the legislative amendments sought to address were linked to Kosovo’s international obligations undertaken during the term of former President Atifete Jahjaga, as well as to constitutional amendments adopted during the same period.

Nagavci recalled that Self-Determination’s position had remained unchanged since the establishment of the Specialist Chambers was first proposed and that the party had opposed their creation.

According to her, the manner in which former KLA leaders are being treated, as well as the way “issues of accountability related to the struggle for freedom and independence” are being addressed, is fundamentally flawed.

“From the very beginning, we opposed the Special Court, and we continue to believe that the manner in which this court was established, focusing in most cases on only one side in the conflict, is unjust. Moreover, when it comes to this particular piece of legislation, we have clearly stated our position in both official and unofficial discussions with MPs from the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the sponsors of these legislative amendments,” Nagavci said.

The amendments to the Law on the Specialist Chambers were adopted on October 6, but two weeks later President Justina Shiroka-Pula returned them to the Assembly for reconsideration, at the request of the PDK, which had initiated the amendments.

Kosovo Online has previously reported on what could happen next with the amendments to the Law on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.