The war in Kosovo 1998-1999 resulted in 13,000 deaths, most of them Kosovo Albanians. It ended when a campaign of air strikes launched by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the spring of 1999 forced the Serbian forces to withdraw.
The Special Court for Kosovo announced the appointment of American Kimberly West as Prosecutor of this body, which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands. West assumes the position to succeed Jack Smith, who in November 2022 went to the United States to investigate the role of former US President Donald Trump in the violence during the storming of Congressional headquarters by his supporters in 2021.
“Kimberly West, a former US federal prosecutor with extensive experience in domestic and international criminal investigations, was chosen as a specialized public prosecutor following procedures organized by the European Union,” the court said in a statement.
The Special Court for Kosovo, funded by the European Union, was set up in 2015. It is a body based on Kosovo law and made up of international judges and charged with investigating crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) rebels during and after the conflict.
The war in Kosovo 1998-1999 resulted in 13,000 deaths, most of them Kosovo Albanians. It ended when a campaign of air strikes launched by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the spring of 1999 forced the Serbian forces to withdraw.
“It is with great honor that I have been chosen for this important and challenging role,” Kimberly West said in the statement. “I look forward to joining the Attorney’s Office and advancing its work,” she added.
The court had charged a number of senior officials of the “Kosovo Liberation Army” with war crimes, including former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci (2016-2020), who is currently on trial.
Last December, the court issued its first war crimes verdict, to 26 years in prison for a former rebel commander who tortured prisoners.
Unrest continues to rock Kosovo, the former Serbian province that has become an independent state.
Serb demonstrators are still protesting against Alban handing over the presidency of northern Kosovo, which has recently witnessed clashes with NATO forces.
Serbs form a majority in northern Kosovo. They boycotted the municipal elections, which Albanian mayors recently won.
