Court of Appeals has kept in power the detention measure for the five individuals suspected for criminal offense of “preparing terrorist criminal offences, or offences against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo,” Article 144, related to the Article 135 of the penal code of Kosovo. Therefore the panel of judges rejected the appeals of the defendants, B.L., E.L., M.H., G.H., and F.M., as not grounded, and certified the decision of the Basic Court in Pristina, PPKR.NR.254/2015, dated 13.07.2015.

The possibility for the special court to investigate the post-war murders is closed, being that the international factor has rejected it.

Skender Hyseni, Kosovo’s Minister for Internal Affairs, is staying for a two-day visit in Brussels. Today, he met with Deputy of the General Secretary at the European People’s Party (EPP), Christian Kremer. They discussed the general situation in Kosovo and the region, with a special focus on the situation of the rule of law in Kosovo.

The Supreme Court of Kosovo and the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) from Berlin, supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), organized the "Kosovo Summit on International Law and Human Rights 2015", which will be held today and tomorrow in Pristina.

Adriatik Kelmendi writes about the decision of the court to sentence former General Commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Sylejman Selimi, with 14 years of prison. “There is no greater hierarchical sentence for some KLA member. One cannot find more reliable judges (in principal) than those of the EU states, or to cut it short: Our chief commander of our liberation war was sentenced by European judges. This is bad news, in fact the worst that Kosovo received lately.

Kosovo’s  Minister of the Foreign Affairs, Hashim Thaci, reacted regarding the verdict of “Drenica Group,” writing on his Facebook profile that this verdict has tendency to blot justice. Thaci wrote that justice was the main intention of the population, however the verdict of “Drenica” group sets dilemmas on justice.

The front page editorial of this daily notes that the President of Kosovo has used the graduation ceremony of candidates for judges and prosecutors to address some of the main concerns about the justice system in Kosovo. She has admitted that Kosovo system of justice is tutored by politics and added that this harmful impact should stop.

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), has not changed its position on the special court. The leader of this opposition party, Ramush Haradinaj, said today that deputies of his party will not vote establishment of the special court at the Assembly.

“No, I had an opportunity to inform you about this. We have a political position, we do not vote the special court,” he said.

The President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, received today the leaders of the responsible institutions for the rule of law, justice and European integration, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Skender Hyseni, the Minister of Justice, Mr. Hajredin Kuçi, the Minister of European Integration, Mr. Bekim Çollaku, the Chairman of the Kosovo Judicial Council, Mr. Enver Peci, the Acting Chief State Prosecutor, Mr. Syle Hoxha and the Director General of the Kosovo Police, Mr. Shpend Maxhuni.

A court in Pristina announced the verdict on the case relating to the misappropriation of 1.4 million euro through the Interior Ministry’s biometric passport production tender. The accused, Natali Veliaj, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined with 25,000, Fisnik Balaj, faces a prison sentence of 11 years and 20,000 euro fine and Betim Blakaj has been given five years in prison and 10,000 euro fine. Veliaj and Blakaj were found guilty on charges of organized crime and money laundering and of leading a criminal enterprise.