After reviewing more than 100 complaints over insufficient criminal investigations with regard to disappearances, kidnappings and murders in Kosovo, Human Rights Advisory Panel came to conclusion that failures of UNMIK in that regard were systematic and that they cannot be justified, reads the newest report of the UNMIK Human Rights Advisory Panel (HRAP).
HRAP has closed 97 cases in 2014, whereas 88 are pending opinions. It was said that UNMIK has published more reactions (apologies to complainants) in the previous year than before, but there is still no information whether EULEX had reopened any of investigations in line with the HRAP recommendations.
In a part of the report which refers to media reporting about the cases which have been reviewed by HRAP, printed and electronic version of ‘Vesti’ (Vesti-online) are quoted as the only media in Serbian language that had regularly followed those cases.
“As a typical example, ‘Vesti’ published on 9 August 2014 an article about the HRAP opinion on the lack of criminal investigation by UNMIK and EULEX against the alleged kidnappers, despite the fact that one of them had recognized the act,” reads the report.
The report further brings that ‘Vesti’ published the article ‘Neither voice against nor protest of Serbia’ has opened the topic and pointed on the lack of official reporting of the United Nations on the work of the HRAP. ‘Vesti’ reported that HRAP’s existence, as a special body, was never quoted in UNMIK’s quarterly reports to the UN Security Council. It also says that ‘Vesti’ reported that no one also mentioned more than 100 HRAP opinions where it was identified that UNMIK had committed serious human rights violations.
