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Kosovo Court For War Crimes 'Step Toward Justice' - Rights Watchdog

© AFP 2023 / JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEKAbout 1,000 young Kosovar Albanians celebrate the "UCK [Kosovo Liberation Army] victory over the Serbs with NATO's help" in the centre of Pristina 02 July 1999
About 1,000 young Kosovar Albanians celebrate the UCK [Kosovo Liberation Army] victory over the Serbs with NATO's help in the centre of Pristina 02 July 1999 - Sputnik International
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Kosovo's government made an essential "step toward justice" by addressing serious crimes following the 1998-1999 Kosovo war at a special court, a rights watchdog said in a statement on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On August 3, the Kosovo government approved the establishment of a court for war crimes allegedly committed by ethnic Albanians who fought on the side of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the war.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the judicial body, located outside of the country's borders, will operate under Kosovo law and appoint international judges and prosecutors.

"The Kosovo government and lawmakers made the right decision for justice and accountability," Lotte Leicht, EU director at HRW, said in the statement.

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Leicht added it was necessary to go further and urgently establish the court to address allegations of serious crimes by an independent and secure body.

The United States and the European Union insisted on the introduction of a special court following a 2010 Council of Europe's report on human organs trafficking in Kosovo during the years of hostilities, allegedly committed with the involvement of the KLA fighters.

The KLA was formed during the mid-1990s by Kosovo Albanians seeking independence from Serbia and a creation of monoethnic state. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

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