Background
Kosovo’s bid to become a member of the Council of Europe was stalled, depriving its citizens of access to the European Court of Human Rights. The Committee of Ministers delayed its vote on Kosovo’s membership after Kosovo refused a last-minute request by some member countries that it should first establish an association of Serb-majority communities, as set out in the Brussels agreement of 2013 between Kosovo and Serbia.
Right to truth, justice and reparations
In February and April, the Basic Court of Pristina sentenced three former members of Serbian police and military forces for war crimes committed in 1999 in the Pristina and Istog regions. Dushko Arsiq, Ekrem Bajroviq and Çaslav Joliq received sentences of 13, 12 and eight years’ imprisonment respectively.
In July, Kosovo Specialist Chambers in the Hague sentenced former Kosovo Liberation Army member Pjetër Shala to 18 years’ imprisonment for the war crimes of arbitrary detention, torture and murder committed in 1999. In September, the Appeals Panel changed the sentence given to Salih Mustafa, a Kosovo Liberation Army unit commander charged with arbitrary detention, cruel treatment, torture and murder, from 22 to 15 years’ imprisonment.
Enforced disappearances
Over 1,600 persons were still missing from the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo, with persistent impunity for perpetrators linked to their disappearance. A 2023 agreement between Kosovo and Serbia to cooperate in locating people who went missing between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2000 was not implemented due to strained relations between the two countries.
Wartime sexual violence
The Kosova Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims demanded that the government remove a 2025 deadline with respect to applications for the status of “victim of wartime sexual violence”, involving reparations of EUR 230 per month. As of October, a government commission established in 2018 had granted this status to 1,688 of 2,018 applicants.
Women’s and girls’ rights
Access to IVF treatment continued to be available only in private clinics, after another failed attempt by the parliament to pass a law on reproductive health allowing IVF treatment in public hospitals. The debate was followed by disinformation and hate speech against single women by some MPs.
LGBTI people’s rights
The government failed to propose a new vote on reforms to the Civil Code, rejected by parliament in 2022, which would have paved the way for registering same-sex civil partnerships. LGBTI survivors of domestic violence had no access to specialized shelters, despite commitments made by the authorities.
Freedom of expression
In July, parliament passed a new Law on the Independent Media Commission despite criticism by civil society organizations and international bodies that the measure would introduce state licensing and control of online media without providing safeguards. The Constitutional Court was reviewing its legality at year’s end, with a final decision pending.
Refugees’ and migrants’ rights
In May, parliament approved an agreement with Denmark to rent out 300 of its prison cells for foreign nationals convicted of crimes in Denmark and due to be deported at the end of their sentence. Over 10 years, the fees would allow Kosovo to invest EUR 210 million in renewable energy. The Kosova Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims raised concerns about limited public consultation over the project and inadequate space in the prison complex.
