The report finds significant shortcomings, particularly in the Judicial Council and State Prosecutor’s Office, which lacked centralized platforms for archiving war crimes cases. Many institutional publications and political speeches predominantly mentioned victims of one ethnicity, neglecting others. This study identified deficiencies in Kosovo’s institutional approach to transitional justice and historical memory.
The panel discussions which consisted of representatives from institutions, international organisations and civil society, were followed by comments and questions by a very active and interested audience which was very keen to delve more in details regarding the data produced by this report.
Among many things discussed and on the importance of such reports in the field of transitional justice and its processes in Kosovo the Minister of Justice – Albulena Haxhiu noted that “there has never been any documentation of war crimes in Kosovo and as a result today when we talk about war crimes there are different reports that speak with different statistics”.
Recommendations from the report include establishing comprehensive databases of war victims, reviewing and standardizing online content, and enhancing transparency in judicial processes, including archiving trials from UNMIK and EULEX. The report also emphasized the need for structured and validated databases, standardized publication practices, and improved transparency in documenting and archiving judicial processes related to war crimes. The report underscored the importance of inclusivity and accuracy in historical narratives and memorialization efforts across Kosovo’s public institutions.
This event was attended by 82 participants of whom 38 were women. The participants came from different backgrounds including victim groups, practitioners, public officials, representatives of diplomatic missions, members of civil society, students, activists, and youth.
This activity falls under the project ‘Dealing with conflict legacy in Kosovo’, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office through the British Embassy in Pristina and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and implemented by BIRN Kosovo.
To download a copy of the report in English, click here.
To download a copy of the report in Albanian, click here.
To download a copy of the report in Serbian, click here.