The Kosovo Specialist Chambers, based in The Hague, have announced that they have reached an agreement with Belgium, allowing individuals convicted by this court to serve their prison sentences on Belgian territory.

“With the signing of this agreement, the Kingdom of Belgium reaffirms its strong commitment to international criminal justice and to the Specialist Chambers’ ability to carry out its mandate,” said Ekaterina Trendafilova, President of the Specialist Chambers, in a press statement.

She also called on other countries to follow Belgium’s example and enter into agreements with the Specialist Chambers for the enforcement of sentences, in order to, as she put it, strengthen the court’s institutional framework.

The Specialist Chambers recalled that, under a 2014 agreement between the then EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, and former President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, final convictions by this court cannot be served in Kosovo, but must be carried out abroad.

The Specialist Court, operating in The Hague, investigates and prosecutes alleged crimes committed by former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during and after the war, specifically from January 1998 to December 2000.

Currently, the trial is underway against former President Hashim Thaçi, former MP Rexhep Selimi, and former Speakers of Parliament Kadri Veseli and Jakup Krasniqi, all accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.