The National Council for the Survivors of Sexual Violence during the war today held its closing meeting and presented the work of the Council on victims of sexual violence during the war. At the meeting chaired by President Atifete Jahjaga it was discussed, among other things, the application of the legal rights of these victims and their access to justice. Jahjaga said that Kosovo institutions have demonstrated commitment to fight the stigmatization of these victims.

The paper’s editorial today notes that the judiciary in Kosovo is not independent, and that this was proved by Justice Minister Hajredin Kuci yesterday who said the conviction of Skenderaj Mayor Sami Lushtaku was absurd. “EULEX’s reaction against Kuci’s irresponsible statement should have been followed with Kuci’s dismissal from his post, but such a thing doesn’t happen in Kosovo where corrupt politicians are above the law. An independent judicial system should act immediately in such cases, without waiting for pressure from the public.”

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuci, said during a round-table today on the fight against corruption that whenever there are cases of corruption they should be addressed by the relevant authorities. But, according to him, they must be addressed accurately to not jeopardize the good work that is being done. “Social environment, citizens and civil society are key to fighting corruption. But, the most important thing is strong political will to do so,” Kuci said.  He also mentioned the media as a key factor in the fight against corruption.

During a conference on “Increased Participation of Marginalized Groups in Kosovo” today, the Ambassador of the United States in Kosovo, Greg Delawie, said that everyone has a responsibility to ensure that all groups are able to exercise their full rights. “When people are pushed to the margins of society, they have a much more difficult time exercising their economic, political, cultural, and social rights. This exclusion constrains economic development and undermines the democratic process.

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the USAID Property Rights Programme launched a media campaign on public awareness for women’s property rights.The United States Ambassador, Greg Delawie, said that less than 19% of women in Kosovo own property, while an even smaller percentage has access to heritage. He added that exclusion of women from the right to heritage is an economic loss for Kosovo.

Kosovo’s Minister for Communities and Returns, Dalibor Jevtic, met today with the Minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuqi. The meeting of the two ministers was initiated by the Minister Jevtic, to seek support for the implementation of one of the findings of the regional initiative on the usurped properties. "Our goal is to see what can be improved in solving the problem of usurped property. It is not a matter only of Serbs but of all Kosovo citizens, and we have to solve it in the most efficient way possible,” Jevtic said.

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuci, met today the Rapporteur for Kosovo in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Augustin Conde. Kuci informed Conde on the ongoing reforms in the justice system in Kosovo and the continued efforts to strengthen the rule of law and guarantee human rights.

Kosovo’s Justice Minister, Hajredin Kuci, said today that the special court’s headquarters has not been decided yet and that this issue is still being negotiated. Even though Kuci refused to give more details on the special court, the news site writes that it is already known that special court will be sponsored and managed by the European Union.

Kosovo’s Justice Minister, Hajredin Kuci, said that that further procedures for the establishment of the special court are not the competence of local institutions. Kuci explained that after adopting the laws for the special court in the Assembly yesterday, the local institutions have no power  over the procedures by which special court shall be established.  "The procedure of establishing special court is not in our competency, but the EU’s,” Kuci said.

Kosovo's Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding for access and monitoring of detention centers and correctional centers in Kosovo.

Through this memorandum, the Red Cross is allowed easy access to these centers and will carry out monitoring in order to assess the conditions offered to individuals deprived of their liberty and respect for human rights in accordance with the highest standards of human rights.