Responsibility, Equality and Rule of Law: Towards Democratic Future

Inicijativa mladih za ljudska prava

In spite of the fact that a significant body of European legislation was introduced in Kosovo over the past several years, some of them far more advanced and progressive than the legislation in the Balkan countries, the implementation remains a problem, concludes the one-day conference Responsibility, Equality and Rule of Law: Towards Democratic Future.

The Conference took place yesterday, February 7, in organization by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights Kosovo Office.

The Conference was organized to mark the publication of report on adherence and implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Interest and the Anti-Discrimination Law, monitored by YIHR in 2006.

The research shows that only five percent of Kosovo institutions fully adhere to the Law on Free Access to Public Documents and that the citizens are largely unaware that such a Law exists, in spite of the fact that it was adopted three years ago. In addition, the Anti-Discrimination Law athat entered into force two years ago is not applied in practice, i.e. there is not a single court ruling based on this Law.

�Although our survey shows that the monitored Laws were implemented in restricted fashion, it is important at this time, when it is certain that a new state is being constituted, that we take the responsibility for full implementation of the existing legislation and creation of new legislation that will incorporate provisions on respect for human rights�, said Sarah Maliqi, the Directress of YIHR Pristina Office.

She added that only the full respect for the Law could provide clear guarantees to all minorities, not only ethnic, but also religious and sexual minorities, that Kosovo is, indeed, a place where they will want to live their lives.

The Conference was opened by Ambassador Werner Wnendt, the Head of OSCE Mission; Rexhep Haxhimusa, the President of Kosovo Supreme Court; and Alex Laskaris, Deputy US Chief of Mission in Kosovo. They invited all representatives of Kosovo institutions present at the conference to accelerate the process of implementation of the Laws and to take additional activities to present them to the citizens.

Hilmi Jashari, Kosovo Ombudsperson; Dragisa Krstovic, MP from the Serb List for Kosovo; Habit Hajredini, the Head of the Good Governance Office in Prime Minister�s Cabinet; Nazmije Krasniqi, Coordinator of the Department of Human Rights with the Ministry of Labour; Kujtim Paqaku, representative of the Roma Community and Evliana Berani, from the Association of Journalists of Kosovo also spoke at the Conference.