PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The European Union has appointed 19 international judges to a special court that will prosecute ethnic Albanian rebels for crimes during and immediately after Kosovo’s war for independence.
A statement Tuesday said the Kosovo Specialist Chambers judges come from 12 EU countries and the United States and Canada.
The court based in The Hague has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes under Kosovo law which allegedly occurred between Jan. 1, 1998 and Dec. 31 2000. The court, which was created last year, has not yet begun processing any cases.
Some 10,000 people died and 1,700 went missing during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war that ended after NATO intervened on behalf of the Albanian majority.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which Serbia has not recognized.