Using orbifold metrics of the appropriately signed Ricci curvature on orbifolds with negative or numerically trivial canonical bundle and the two-dimensional Log Minimal Model Program, we prove that the fundamental group of special compact Kähler threefolds is almost abelian. This property was conjectured in all dimensions in [Cam04b], and also for orbifolds in [Cam07], where the notion of specialness was introduced. We briefly recall below the definition, basic properties, and the role of special manifolds in classification theory.Date: November 5, 2018.