PRISTINA, 14 Dec 2016 – Dr Ekaterina Trendafilova was appointed the first President of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers . After the independent Selection Panel submitted its recommendation, the Appointing Authority, Ms. Alexandra Papadopoulou, Head of the EULEX Mission in Kosovo, formally appointed the President. The Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office have jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes under Kosovo law in relation to allegations reported in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Report of 7 January 2011 regarding mainly the war crimes committed by the ex paramilitary Kosovo Albanian UCK(Kosovo Liberation Army). According to the EULEX statement, “President Trendafilova (1953) is a distinguished judge, lawyer and academic from Bulgaria with extensive experience in international criminal law, criminal law, criminal procedural law and human rights law. She served as a Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from 2006 to 2015. Prior to the appointment to the ICC she was a professor of criminal justice at the Sofia University, Deputy District Attorney at the Sofia District Court and provided expert opinion in criminal law and human rights standards to the Bulgarian Parliament, Supreme Court and a number of Bulgarian ministries”. Upon her appointment, President Trendafilova stated: “I am truly honoured to have been appointed as the first President of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. At this decisive moment in the early existence of the Specialist Chambers, I feel privileged to have been entrusted with the leadership task. I recognize the immense responsibility to ensure that the Specialist Chambers apply the best judicial practices and deliver fair and impartial justice for those brought to account, as well as the victims of the crimes allegedly committed. I intend to accomplish this mission independently, with determination, vigour and to the very best of my abilities. It is vital that we implement our mandate in an efficient, professional and secure manner.” The President of the Specialist Chambers is responsible for the judicial administration of the Specialist Chambers and other functions conferred upon her by the Law. The President also serves as presiding judge on Supreme Court Panel of the Specialist Chambers. President Trendafilova has been appointed for a term of four years and is to be deployed as of January 2017. The Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office have jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes under Kosovo law in relation to allegations reported in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Report of 7 January 2011. Following this Report, the European Union decided to establish a Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) in September 2011, to conduct an independent criminal investigation into the allegations contained in the Report, as well as other crimes connected to those allegations. In summer of 2014, the SITF announced (link is external) that the evidence investigated was of sufficient weight to file an indictment. In order to address these allegations, there had to be an adequate institution for proper judicial proceedings. The Kosovo authorities have agreed with the EU on modalities of dealing with those serious allegations. On 3 August 2015, the Kosovo Assembly adopted Article 162 of the Kosovo Constitution and the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, following the Exchange of Letters between the President of Kosovo and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in 2014. The Specialist Chambers are attached to each level of the court system in Kosovo – Basic Court, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court and Constitutional Court. They will function according to relevant Kosovo laws as well as customary international law and international human rights law. The EU has supported the process from the outset and together with other contributing countries (Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States of America) will financially support the work of the court. The Specialist Chambers comprises two organs, the Chambers and the Registry. The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office is an independent office for the investigation and prosecution of the crimes within the jurisdiction of the Specialist Chambers. The Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office are staffed with international judges, prosecutors and officers and have a seat in The Hague, the Netherlands.
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