Protests Escalate in Kosovo Against War Crimes Court Official

Overview

• Opposition protesters in Kosovo used flares and tear gas to protest against a senior war crimes court official in the capital, Pristina.
• Members of the leftist Social Democratic Party attempted to enter a hotel where the President of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers court, Ekaterina Trendafilova, was holding a meeting.
• The protesters claim the court lacks transparency and unfairly accuses former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) of war crimes.
• Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, Parliament ex-speaker Kadri Veseli, and former lawmaker Rexhep Selimi, all top leaders of the KLA, are currently on trial at The Hague.
• Five arrests were made among the protesters.