During the training, a series of lectures was delivered by experienced trainers in transitional justice. The sessions covered topics such as the documentation of war crimes in international media; the collection of evidence on war crimes from institutional and non-governmental sources; the transition of war crimes investigations from international to domestic mechanisms, with a focus on building prosecutorial capacity; and the impact of hate speech and disinformation on establishing the truth about war crimes.
The sessions were delivered by experienced practitioners, including Jeta Xharra, Executive Director of BIRN Kosovo; former war crimes prosecutor Drita Hajdari; human rights and dealing with the past expert Ibrahim Makolli; and Labinot Leposhtica, Head of the Legal Office at BIRN Kosovo. All trainers shared their professional perspectives and experiences in war crimes documentation and investigations, as well as the ethical challenges involved in reporting on sensitive and complex issues.
Participants in the training came from institutions directly involved in transitional justice and dealing with the past in Kosovo, including the Institute for War Crimes in Kosovo (IKKL), the Transitional Justice Division of the Kosovo Ministry of Justice, the Government Commission on Missing Persons, as well as law students from the University of Gjilan and the University of Mitrovica.
All participants were highly engaged throughout the training, particularly during discussions on documenting war crimes through media reporting and the historical overview of judicial proceedings related to war crimes in Kosovo. Participants emphasized that impartiality is essential when documenting war crimes and that achieving this requires a deep understanding of the past in order to build peace in the present.
The training session brought together 63 participants, of whom 42 were women, representing various institutions and academic backgrounds.
The “Reconcile” project is funded by the European Union. The content and views expressed are the sole responsibility of BIRN Kosovo and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
Workshop Overview and Participant Breakdown
Date: 19 January 2026
Location: Pristina, Kosovo
Number of participants per country: 63
Total number of participants: 63
The full findings and activities are available in the EDS Report, which can be accessed here.