The integrated justice system in northern Kosovo is not fully functional even after six months and citizens face many problems because of it.  According to the research of the Advocacy Centre for the Democratic Culture (ACDC), Courts do not have citizens' trust and still do not work in its full capacity, reports Kontakt plus radio.

In a public discussion on Thursday in the Centre for Civil Energy in Mitrovica North, problems of the citizens were mentioned in regards to claiming their rights before the courts.

It was pointed out that courts in northern Kosovo, since they function within the Kosovo legal system, have solved very few cases and that citizens face various administrative obstacles.

Representative of ACDC Aleksandar Rapajic says that during the past two months, using a sample of more than 630 respondents, they have conducted a survey of citizens on the integrated justice system in northern Kosovo.

 “The research showed that the citizens are informed, that they have the information about the courts, the laws in use, and that they do not have security problems when it comes to accessing the courts in North Mitrovica and in the southern part of the city” Rapajic said.

He pointed out that the research highlighted as negative the lack of trust of respondents in the entire process of judicial integration.

“Most citizens still do not trust the courts and institutions and do not believe in a fair trial. As many as 85% of respondents believe that politics affects the work of the courts. This tells us that there is still no confidence in the work of the courts” he said.