Police clash with Kosovo protesters over bid to curb Hague war crimes court as unrest continues in Pristina

Police in Kosovo used tear gas and water cannon as protesters clashed with officers outside parliament in Pristina on Monday, after lawmakers advanced amendments aimed at limiting the powers of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. The unrest also spread around government buildings, where demonstrators blocked exits in an effort to stop lawmakers from leaving. Fires were reported in the streets, and several people were detained during the confrontation.

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The latest violence followed parliament's first reading of the proposed changes, which still require a second reading and final approval. According to the supporting report, the amendments would cap prison sentences at 15 years, allow appeals to Kosovo's Supreme Court and let convicted people serve their sentences in Kosovo. The court recently convicted four former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders of war crimes committed during the 1998-99 conflict, adding to the political sensitivity of the issue.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers was created in 2015 as part of Kosovo's judicial system, but it sits in The Hague and is staffed internationally. It has long been controversial among supporters of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which remains a powerful symbol for many ethnic Albanians. The current dispute shows how wartime memory, domestic politics and international war-crimes accountability continue to overlap in Kosovo more than two decades after the conflict ended.

The protests also come at a politically delicate moment for the country. Kosovo's Constitutional Court has set an October 6 deadline for the election of a president, after which parliament could be dissolved and the country pushed towards another early election. That deadline increases the pressure on lawmakers as they debate changes to the court's powers, and it raises the stakes for a government already facing public anger over the issue.

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What remains unclear is whether the amendments will return for a second reading quickly enough to meet the political timetable, and whether the protests will continue if the bill remains stalled. It is also not yet clear how many people were injured or whether any of those detained will face charges. The immediate focus now is on whether lawmakers can proceed without further unrest and how the court reform debate will affect the wider political crisis in Pristina.

Police in Kosovo clashed with protesters outside the parliament building in Pristina on Monday evening after lawmakers failed to complete a vote on proposed changes to limit the powers of the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers. Officers used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd as some demonstrators tried to block lawmakers from leaving the area. The unrest came as parliament ended its session without passing the amendments, which had already cleared a first reading earlier in the day.

Several hundred people gathered outside the parliament, including supporters and veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the ethnic Albanian rebel force that fought Serbian troops during the 1998-2000 war. Some protesters threw flares and firecrackers during the confrontation. Naser Syla, the emergency director at a hospital in Pristina, said 12 people were injured, including 11 civilians.

The immediate trigger was the stalled legislation, which would have limited sentences to 15 years, allowed sentences to be served in Kosovo and permitted appeals to the country's Supreme Court. The dispute has become part of a wider political struggle in Kosovo, where the court remains deeply controversial. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers was founded in 2015 as an independent part of Kosovo's judicial system, but it is based in The Hague and staffed internationally.

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Critics have accused it of handing down overly punitive verdicts, while supporters say it is needed to deal with alleged war crimes committed during the conflict. The latest tensions followed the September 16 convictions of former President Hashim Thaci and three other former KLA commanders, who received prison terms ranging from 13 to 25 years. Those rulings prompted weeks of protests and were unanimously condemned by Kosovo's parliament in late September.

The issue has also become linked to negotiations over a new presidential election. Kosovo's Constitutional Court has ruled that the self-declared republic has until October 6 to elect a president, or parliament will be dissolved and the country will face another early election. That deadline has increased the political stakes around the court reform debate and added pressure on lawmakers already divided over the proposed amendments.

The protest also highlights the continuing sensitivity of war-crimes accountability in Kosovo more than two decades after the conflict ended. The Kosovo Liberation Army remains a powerful symbol for many ethnic Albanians, while the Specialist Chambers continues to draw criticism from those who see it as unfairly targeting former rebel leaders. At the same time, the court is part of Kosovo's own legal framework, even though it operates abroad and with international staff.

The clash in Pristina shows how legal reform, wartime memory and current political bargaining are now intersecting in a single dispute. What remains unclear is whether lawmakers will return to the amendments before the presidential deadline, and whether the protests will continue if the bill remains stalled. It is also not yet clear how many of the injured required further treatment beyond the initial hospital report.

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