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UÇKHistory and Memory

23–28 March 1989 · 1981–1989

The constitutional amendments and the removal of autonomy

On 23 March 1989, with the building surrounded by police and military vehicles, the Kosovo Assembly approved amendments curbing autonomy; on 28 March the Serbian Assembly adopted them. Protests and deadly clashes followed.
Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.Before the warPolitics
White and brick-coloured multi-storey building with a flag on top, behind a square with trees.
The building of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo in Pristina, photographed on 13 September 2020.Photo: Arianit · 2020-09-13 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Amendments IX–XLIX transferred control over education, taxation and public security to Serbia and removed the provinces' veto over constitutional changes. The ICTY Chamber found that they removed Kosovo's substantial autonomy, while Serbian constitutional experts argued they merely “redistributed competencies” [1].

The legitimacy of the vote is disputed: witnesses told the ICTY of police and military pressure, and Helsinki Watch writes that the two-thirds majority was not reached [2]. For the ensuing protests, figures vary: at least 24 killed on 28 March according to HRW (2001), 26–100 according to Helsinki Watch (1992) [3] [2].

Sources

  1. [1]Tribunali Penal Ndërkombëtar për ish-Jugosllavinë (ICTY). Prosecutor v. Milutinović et al., Judgement, Volume 1 of 4. 2009-02-26. IT-05-87-T. https://www.icty.org/x/cases/milutinovic/tjug/en/jud090226-e1of4.pdf. Accessed 2026-09-16. — paras 218–221
  2. [2]Helsinki Watch (Human Rights Watch). Yugoslavia: Human Rights Abuses in Kosovo 1990–1992. 1992-10. https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/y/yugoslav/yugo92o.pdf. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. [3]Fred Abrahams, Benjamin Ward. Under Orders: War Crimes in Kosovo. 2001-10-26. https://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/kosovo/. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. [4]Tribunali Penal Ndërkombëtar për ish-Jugosllavinë (ICTY). Prosecutor v. Slobodan Milošević, Transcript, 3 May 2002 (testimony of Ibrahim Rugova). 2002-05-03. IT-02-54. https://www.icty.org/x/cases/slobodan_milosevic/trans/en/020503IT.htm. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Editorial status: Awaiting verificationDrafted from the cited sources; not yet fully reviewed by the editors.

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