The First Trial of at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers Begin

On the 15th of September 2021, the first trial at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in the Hague was opened. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers were set up in 2016 and are tasked to examine the crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes which occurred in the Kosovo war of independence between the 1st of January 1998 and the 31st of December 2000 (Kosovo Specialist Chambers 2021). The first case concerns the ex-military commander named ‘Salih Mustafa’ who was in charge of the BIA Guerrilla Unit, which is closely related to the Kosovo Liberation Army. He has been charged with the war crimes of murder, arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, and torture. To the disappointment of the victims, Mustafa has pleaded ‘not guilty’ to every single one of the charges. The Specialist Prosecutor has affirmed that the trial solely seeks to establish Mustafa’s responsibility and does not pass judgment on the Kosovar people’s quest towards an independent Kosovo. For more information on the Mustafa case, please visit: https://www.euronews.com/2021/09/15/former-kosovo-rebel-commander-on-trial-in-the-hague-for-war-crimes; For more information on the Specialist Chamber in general,