Kosovo to establish court to investigate alleged war crimesAugust 4, 2015 - 17:05 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Parliament in Kosovo has amended the constitution to allow the creation of a special court to investigate alleged war crimes committed by ethnic Albanian fighters during the war in the 1990s, BBC News reports. The now-disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) has been accused of various war crimes, including organ-harvesting from murdered Serb captives. Opposition politicians boycotted the vote on the establishment of a court, but the prime minister said the issue was a "challenge we have to deal with". The constitutional changes were backed by 82 deputies in the 120-seat parliament on Monday, Aug 3. Former KLA rebels who have become politicians were among those in parliament who opposed the vote. Ex-KLA fighters are held in high regard by many in Kosovo's majority Albanian population. But PM Isa Mustaf told legislators before the vote: "Finding the truth about some allegations from during and after the war is a challenge that we have to deal with." The new tribunal will be part of Kosovo's judicial system, but proceedings will be handled abroad, with reports they may be held in the Netherlands. Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority fought an insurgency against Serb forces in the late 1990s, in which more than 10,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands driven from their homes. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |