Dhomat e Specializuara të Kosovës

As the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) approaches what is expected to be its final verdict — likely in May 2026 — scholars, legal experts, and community practitioners gathered to take stock of what the court has actually delivered over its years of operation. The conversation ranged across founding politics, legal architecture, community impact, and the troubling precedents this court may set for international justice more broadly.

This paper draws together the key arguments from that discussion, organized around five main themes: the political origins of the court; its legal and constitutional problems; the question of collective versus individual guilt; community trust and reconciliation; and what the verdicts — whatever they turn out to be — will likely mean.

The overall picture that emerges is one of an institution that, despite its formal legitimacy, has struggled on almost every dimension — and whose legacy may be more damaging than useful. 

Based on the webinar organised by the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS), April 2026 Featuring contributions from Gëzim Visoka (Dublin City University), Robert Muharremi (RIT Kosovo), Afërdita Sylaj Shehu (Community Building Mitrovica), Armend Bekaj (Uppsala University), and Ramadan Ilazi (KCSS). This discussion paper was prepared with the assistance of AI, based on the transcript of the webinar.