Police clash with Kosovo protesters over bid to curb Hague war crimes court

By AFP and The Associated Press. Published On 6 Oct 20266 Oct 2026.

Key points

• The 1998-99 war killed regarding 13, 000 residents, most of them ethnic Albanians, and forced regarding one million Kosovo Albanians from their homes.
• Naser Syla, the emergency director at a hospital in Pristina, informed The Associated Press news agency that 12 residents were injured, including 11 civilians.
• Founded in 2015, the court is an independent part of Kosovo's judicial system, based in The Hague and staffed internationally.
• Prime Minister Albin Kurti's governing Vetevendosje party, or the Self-Determination Movement, wants the presidential vote to take place first.
• The legislation follows the September 16 convictions of former President Hashim Thaci and three other former KLA commanders for war crimes.

Police have clashed with protesters outside Kosovo's Parliament over intends to limit the powers of a Hague-based war crimes court.

In practice, the violence broke out on Monday evening after Parliament concluded its session without passing the proposed changes. It concerned the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a court dedicated to crimes committed during the Kosovo War from 1998 to 2000.

Critics, nevertheless, have accused the court's verdicts of being overly punitive. The amendments before Parliament would limit sentences to 15 years, allow sentences to be served in Kosovo and permit appeals to the self-declared republic's Supreme Court.

For context, the changes passed a first reading earlier on Monday, but Parliament adjourned before a second vote could be held.

For context, a number of hundred protesters had gathered outside the Parliament building in Pristina, including supporters and veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), the ethnic Albanian rebel force that fought Serbian troops in the war.

Some tried to block lawmakers from leaving after the session concluded. Police applied tear gas and water cannons in an attempt to disperse the protesters, some of whom threw flares and firecrackers.

Meanwhile, the legislation follows the September 16 convictions of former President Hashim Thaci and three other former KLA commanders for war crimes.

Thaci was sentenced to 25 years in prison. His co-defendants received prison terms ranging from 13 to 25 years. They have all denied the charges.

Meanwhile, the rulings prompted weeks of protests and were unanimously condemned by Kosovo's Parliament in late September.

For context, the question of reforming the court has additionally become tied to the political battle over Kosovo's presidency.

Kosovo's Constitutional Court has ruled that the self-declared republic has until October 6 to elect a president. If lawmakers fail to do so, Parliament will be dissolved, and Kosovo will face another early election.

In practice, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the largest opposition party and sponsor of the bill, has hinged its backing for electing a president to the successful passage of the changes.

Kurti backed allowing the bill to proceed but informed Parliament on Monday that the changes had been rushed.

He has additionally stated the appeals process should be applied to challenge the controversial September convictions.

Kosovo created the Specialist Chambers under pressure from Western allies to prosecute alleged crimes by KLA members.

It was based outside Kosovo partly due to reservations concerning political pressure and threats to witnesses.

Meanwhile, the court remains deeply contentious in Kosovo, where plenty of residents regard the KLA as the force that fought Serbian repression and led the self-declared republic towards declaring independence.

For context, the 1998-99 war killed regarding 13, 000 residents, most of them ethnic Albanians, and forced regarding one million Kosovo Albanians from their homes.

Meanwhile, the conflict concluded after a 78-day NATO bombing campaign against Serbian forces. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade does not recognise its sovereignty.

For now, police clash with Kosovo protesters over bid to curb Hague war crimes remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.