Detention

The Detention Facilities of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (‘Detention Facilities’) are located in a prison facility in The Hague (PI Haaglanden). 

Detainees are housed in the Detention Facilities, which are managed and administered by the Detention Management Unit (‘DMU’) under the authority of the Registrar.

The way the Detention Facilities are run reflects the overriding requirements of humane treatment and respect for human dignity, safety, and security. The regulations governing the Detention Facilities, including the Rules of Detention, are located here. They are consistent with international human rights law and internationally accepted standards for the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty. In particular, they take into account the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the ‘Mandela Rules’) and the European Prison Rules.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers has developed the Rules of Detention in consultation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (‘ICRC’). The Detention Facilities are inspected and monitored by the ICRC. This means that the ICRC may carry out regular, unannounced, and independent inspections of the Detention Facilities in order to examine the conditions of detention and ensure compliance with human rights, international law, and accepted standards of treatment.