Law on amnesty arouses dispute in Kosovo

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RISTINA, Sept. 3 -- The so-called "Constitutional Court of Kosovo" contested on Tuesday the amnesty law adopted by the assembly last July.

The law was passed as a result of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo leader Hashim Thaqi and Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic.

The purpose of the law is to provide amnesty to Serbs in the Serb-dominated north, which opposed the institutions of Kosovo in the call for resistance.

The court ruled that "on Amnesty as to its substance is compatible with the Constitution with the exception of" nine articles. According to the verdict, what incompatible with "the constitution" are violations in relations to destruction or damage to property, arson, failure to report criminal offenses or their perpetrators, and violations related to falsifying documents.

The law on amnesty has been a precondition for Kosovo and Serbia to move forward in the implementation of the agreements reached in Brussels. Belgrade insisted in Kosovo's passing of this law to ensure that people that resisted so far Pristina's authority will not be indicted in the future.

The law was passed with a two thirds majority in the 20-seat Kosovo assembly on July 11, 2013. But, the referral was submitted to the Court on July 19, 2013, by opposition Self-determination MP Albulena Haxhiu and 12 other deputies of the Assembly of Kosovo.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo as an independent country.

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