Kosovo seeks a chance to sue Serbia for war crimes by joining CoE

Kosovo officials have been announcing the lawsuit for war crimes for years. Prime Minister Albin Kurti has raised the issue again, by attending the anniversaries of mass murders of the Albanian civilians in the villages across Kosovo.

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic assessed Kurti's words as “threats” and said Kosovo would use the Council of Europe's institutions to file lawsuits against Serbia.

Some analysts see Vucic's words as an attempt to affect the next vote on Kosovo's entry.

Kosovo Government established the Institute for War Crimes last year, which works to institutionally solve the crimes committed during the war in Kosovo.

“From ethical point of view, Kosovo not only has the right but is obliged to initiate a legal path on behalf of the victims and sue Serbia, in order to seek justice and win justice at the international level,” said analyst Artan Muhaxhiri.

One of the largest obstacles to Kosovo's lawsuit is that only the UN member states have an access to the International Court of Justice and are able to file lawsuits for war crimes.