One of the main problems of the civil society in Kosovo is the weak watchdog and monitoring function. Our priority is to strengthen our partners in that regard. Another important aspect is the issue of dealing with the past. The collaborations we have, for instance regarding the Kosovo Memory Book and the Regional Truth Commission (RECOM), are targeting that.
Read about the current human rights situation in our country report Human rights in Kosovo
Civil Rights Defenders and the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation express their deep concerns and strongly condemn the death threat against Ms. Nazlie Bala, a well respected Kosovo human rights defender. The organisations call upon the responsible institutions to ensure protection of human rights defenders in line with international and domestic obligations.
In December, Civil Rights Defenders wrote a letter to the Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and urged him to demand stronger protection for human rights defenders in Kosovo. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has replied that “we are discussing these important issues on a political level. When Prime Minister Hachim Thaci visited Sweden in October, EU integration and the necessary reforms, including human rights, were major themes.”
Civil Rights Defenders urges the government of Kosovo to bring to justice everyone responsible for the recent hate crimes by radical groups against the Magazine Kosovo 2.0 and the LGBT organisation Libertas. Further, the government must ensure their fulfillment of international and domestic obligations in protection of human rights.
In cooperation with Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Tortured Victims (KRCT), Civil Rights Defenders is conducting a comprehensive monitoring of institutions for persons with mental disabilities in Kosovo. Small improvements of the living conditions have been observed during the year but large structural problems still remain.
(Updated in October 2012) Four years after the declaration of independence, Kosovo still faces the challenge of becoming a state based on the principles of the rule of law, democracy and human rights. The challenges lying ahead are immense, as regards accomplishing the required reforms in the judiciary, public administration and the fight against corruption. [...]
In a letter we urge the president of Kosovo not to sign the changes in the criminal code. The new amendments are a threat against freedom of expression in Kosovo and could limit the work of our partners.
Civil Rights Defenders is organising a two-day regional conference in cooperation with Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) on the theme “The role of civil society, citizens and media in the Western Balkans: Challenges as an opportunity“. The conference will be held in Sarajevo, November 22-23. Journalists, activists and civil society organisations from the [...]
On September 7 the Kosovo Memory book (Volume 1) was launched by our partner Humanitarian Law Center. The book , when fully completed, will document individual victims killed or disappeared in the armed conflict in Kosovo during 1998 – 2000. Hopefully the book with contribute o preventing political manipulation of the numbers of victims from [...]
Kosovo 2.0 is a web portal and a magazine available in English, Albanian and Serbian. Since the launch in July 2010, it has had around 257,760 unique visitors and more that 1,000 unique visits a day. Civil Rights Defenders collaboration with Kosovo Glocal aims at building up Kosovo 2.0, a comprehensive and vibrant media platform, offering interesting and current news, commentary and information that will contribute to an overall respect of freedom of expression in Kosovo.
Civil Rights Defenders cooperation with Press Council Kosovo (PCK) concerns the quality of the media. By promoting a Code of Conduct for the press, and making sure that it is applied, we strive to improve the professionalism in media.
despread impunity in Kosovo, people often do not report violence in prison. Civil Rights Defenders collaboration with Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT) refers to prevent torture or any other form of ill-treatment in places of detention and contribute to the respect of human rights in Kosovo. The target group consists of persons deprived of their liberty and relevant authorities.
Civil Rights Defenders believe that strengthening investigative journalism in Kosovo will contribute to greater respect for human rights in general and to freedom of expression in particular. The collaboration with Kosovo Center for Investigative Journalism (KCIJ) aims to develop, improve and support investigative journalism in Kosovo.
A major problem in Kosovo today is the lack of lawyers who can represent victims of human rights violations in court. In collaboration with Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Kosovo (YIHR KS), Civil Rights Defenders are establishing a pool of lawyers who will identify cases of discrimination for proceeding to the court.
Together with Humanitarian Law Centre in Kosovo, Civil Rights Defenders is compiling the Kosovo Memory Book, a comprehensive record of killed and missing persons during the 1998-2000 armed conflict in Kosovo. The aim is to build a historical memory about the conflict that will assist the Kosovar society to deal with the recent past.
In collaboration with the Organisation for Democracy, Anticorruption and Dignity – ÇOHU! Civil Rights Defenders provide a tool for preventing cases that contain features of corruption or organized crime from being closed because of passing the deadline set in the law.
Every year Civil Rights Defenders organise trainings for our partners. This year our partners in Albania and Kosovo received training in public speech.
Our photo exhibition “Our Rights” is touring the Western Balkans. The exhibition is made in collaboration with the photographer Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin and the aim is to increase the awareness of the importance of Human Rights. With this exhibition we want to show what might be the consequences of human rights violations but also how [...]
By monitoring mental health facilities in Kosovo and lobby for legislative changes, Civil Rights Defenders, together with Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims, work to promote human dignity and make end to violence and discrimination in institutions.
On the occasion of the Human Rights Day on December 10, and in view of the upcoming Kosovo parliamentary elections on December 12, Youth Initiative for Human Rights and Civil Rights Defenders call upon all political parties in Kosovo to increase their efforts in promoting the respect for human rights.
In the 2009 municipal elections Kosovo Serbs surprised everybody with their high turnout, and won in three municipalities where they were in majority. In the wake of the elections on December 12, we have initiated a cooperation with Kosovo Media Association aimed at trying to repeat this positive trend.
On December 12, 2010, parliamentary elections will take place in Kosovo, after a turbulent autumn. We have intensified our efforts to increase the participation of three specific groups that previously had a very low election turnout; the youth, the Serbian community and the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.
KJIC used to be an integrated part of ÇOHU! but will from now on be an independent organization. Its main objective is to boost investigative journalism in Kosovo.
Human Rights Watch appeals to European states to stop sending Roma back to Kosovo. In a report they point out that Roma who left for Western Europe but were sent back face serious human rights problems. We recently wrote an Op-Ed with the exact same message.
In May 2010 Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Kosovo and Civil Rights Defenders published a report which scrutinized different parts of Kosovo governance structures. The report titled “State of Costriction” questions whether the citizens of Kosovo feel free to follow their conscience and judgment. The report concludes that the answer to this question is [...]
Sweden and other EU countries are deporting Roma to Kosovo in full knowledge that these people face abject poverty and systematic discrimination. We are calling for an immediate halt to the deportation and we urge the government to make every effort to get other EU Member States to follow suit.
The daily Express tries to blot our report on freedom of expression by drawing parallels between the life of the author of the report and the report itself. Together with a number of organisations we demand an end to the attempts to silence free speech in Kosovo.
Together with YIHR in Kosovo we released a report which scrutinizes parts of Kosovo governance structures. Robert Hårdh, Executive Director of Civil Rights Defenders, attended the presentation of the report in Pristina.
Our cooperation with COHU!, the Organisation for Democracy, Anticorruption and Dignity, aims at influencing the law-making process in the field of anti-corruption. The fight against political corruption is carried out by identifying structures that make mismanagement and abuse of public office and funds possible.
The purpose of our cooperation with Civil Rights Program/Kosovo is to provide free legal aid to vulnerable residents either from the majority community or one of the minorities, either living in Kosovo or as refugees in one of the neighbouring countries. The main target group however is individuals that lack personal identification documents.
Public administration has the power to deprive people of their liberty following procedures clearly established by the law. But when detention takes place outside the public scrutiny it opens the door to violations of rights of the inmates, as well as to torture and ill-treatment. Civil Rights Defenders initiated cooperation with Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims in 2007, with the aim to monitor detention facilities and prisons.
Civil Rights Defenders cooperate with the Kosovo office of Humanitarian Law Centre in documenting facts about the conflicts in the recent past. Our aim is to build a comprehensive record of the killed and missing during the 1998-1999 armed conflict and the period of revenge killings against non-Albanians and suspected collaborators with the Serbian authorities in Kosovo between June 1999 and the end of 2000.
By supporting the Press Council, Civil Rights Defenders contribute to ensuring the quality of media and to strengthening freedom of expression in Kosovo. Furthermore, our focus is to make the Kosovo public better aware of the Press Council’s existence and role, and to ensure the future sustainability of the Press Council.
In Kosovo the situation for media and individual journalists has worsened. In cooperation with YIHR, Civil Rights Defenders decided to produce a comprehensive report on Freedom of Expression, with a particular focus on media freedom and on documented statements from journalists who have been subjected to threats and pressure.
Civil Rights Defenders cooperate with Kosovo Media Association to provide professional, balanced and unbiased news primarily to the Serbian population in Kosovo. The network reaches almost the entire Serbian community, as well as the Albanian population, in Kosovo.
One of the most significant achievements for Civil Rights Defenders in 2009 is our contribution to resolving the housing situation for one of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities in the region of Gjakova, Kosovo.
Independent journalists are exposed to increased threats and pressure since Kosovo declared itself independent in February 2008, according to partner organisations to the Swedish Helsinki Committee in the country. The latest in a series of examples is the assault on well known journalist Jeta Xharra. It is with concern that the Swedish Helsinki Committee notices [...]
The organization for Democracy Anti-corruption and Dignity (COHU) in Kosovo has the past time been exposed to harassment by the Kosovo authorities, amongst others, Post Telecom Kosovo (PTK). The Swedish Helsinki Committee urges that the authorities of Kosovo investigate the intimidations. The Swedish Helsinki Committee encourages Kosovo authorities to carry out a full investigation related [...]
Kosovo’s parliament has failed to appoint an Ombudsperson. This has negative consequences for citizens claiming their rights against the authorities in Kosovo, says the Swedish and Norwegian Helsinki Committees in a letter to Kosovo’s parliament. Mr Kole Berisha President of the Assembly of Kosovo Stockholm and Oslo, February 16, 2009 The Swedish and Norwegian Helsinki [...]
Natasha Jevtic Esbjörnson
Phone: +46 76 576 27 62
His burnt body was returned to the family in a plastic bag. The European Court has found Russia responsible for human rights violations in the North Caucasus, in more than one hundred cases, as a result of our work.
(Photo: Joanna Kurosz)
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