FINDING THE BALANCE: The Scales of Justice in Kosovo (ICG Balkans Report N°134)
FINDING THE BALANCE: The Scales of Justice in Kosovo (ICG Balkans Report N°134)

Author(s): Author Not Specified
Subject(s): Law and Transitional Justice, Inter-Ethnic Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies, Wars in Jugoslavia
Published by: ICG International Crisis Group
Summary/Abstract: Under the Constitutional Framework, authority for the justice sector – with the exception of the administration of courts - is reserved to the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG). However, this does not absolve UNMIK of the responsibility to involve Kosovo officials in planning the system. The Department of Justice is currently developing a transition strategy for the implementation of UNMIK’s benchmarks. ICG calls on the Department to include Kosovo officials in the development of this strategy. Moreover, Kosovo officials should be gradually introduced into policy and planning functions more generally, co-head positions should be established in the Department of Justice, and international staff dedicated solely to building the capacity of local officials should be seconded into the Department. Finding the Balance also examines the prosecution of sensitive offences such as war crimes and ethnically motivated violence. Despite the significant resources devoted to the documentation of war crimes, they have largely gone unpunished as has subsequent violence against Kosovo’s minorities.

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