Through a statement to the media, Ramush Haradinaj announced resignation from the post of prime minister of Kosovo. Because an invitation was made by the Special Court in The Hague to conduct an interview. "I'm not accused, I'm interviewing," he stressed in the media statement.

Haradinaj has been invited to appear in court as head of the Kosovo government or as a simple citizen, so he has decided not to appear as prime minister. "I can not appear as the head of government because it will burden Kosovo, so I made that decision."

What is the Special Court?

War crimes in Kosovo since 1999 have been treated differently by international justice bodies. Initially, they were dealt with by the United Nations administration and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, based in The Hague, the Netherlands.

They were also dealt with by EULEX, but later (so far) war crimes were taken over by Specialized Chambers known as Special Courts.

War crimes trial in The Hague Tribunal

After serving 100 days as Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj resigned in 2005 after being indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, claiming that Haradinaj committed crimes against humanity. He was then released in April 2008 for lack of evidence.

The second trial took place in August 2011 and in November of the following year, Haradinaj was found guilty for the second time.

Likewise, he was arrested in January 2017 upon Serbia's order after arriving at the border of France. Serbian authorities demanded his extradition with the charge of "torture, murder and rape of Serbian civilians", but the French court dismissed the charges and released it.

It is expected that Kosovo will go to early elections.