After the American report, Thaci reacts: We Must Fight Corruption

Thaci has written that institutions should keep up the fight against corruption and guarantee the rights of citizens of all communities.

The Kosovo Human Rights Report for 2018, published by the American State Department, has identified many progress in the justice sector, but also many challenges ahead. We are grateful to the US for the investments and support it has given Kosovo in the justice sector. All impasses identified in this report should be taken seriously by Kosovo institutions and worked with greater dynamics in improving them. We must continue the fight against corruption and guarantee the rights of citizens of all our communities as the values upon which we built our country. HTH”, Thaci wrote.

The U.S. State Department yesterday published the report on human rights in the world in 2018, where in the part of Kosovo it poses as problems: <x0) the mandatory return of refugees or asylum seekers, continued government corruption, violence and violent threats against journalists, and attacks against members of ethnic minorities or other marginalised communities”.

The report highlights the case of the expulsion of six Turkish citizens from Kosovo to Turkey, where they, reportedly, have sought “under vague charges”.

“NGOs and the Ombudsman's institution have said the government has denied the right to ban on seeking asylum or to appeal the decision to deportation before the court. NGOs and opposition politicians have said the accelerated deportation has been politically motivated”, the report stresses.

The same recalls that “Prime Minister (of Kosovo) has dismissed the interior minister and the director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency as a result of the” incident.

In the play on freedom of expression, the report stresses that the Constitution and the laws of Kosovo guarantee freedom of expression and that the government in general has respected that right.

But, it says further, reliable reports have reiterated that some public officials, politicians, businessmen and radical religious groups have made efforts to intimidate media representatives.

The “Media also faced difficulties in obtaining information from the government and public institutions, as provided by law”, the report said.

The US State Department also stresses that the law in Kosovo envisions criminal penalties for officials performing corrupt acts, but that the government “has not effectively implemented the law”.

The editors, sometimes, engaged in corrupt practices without punishment. The lack of effective judicial supervision and overall weakness in rule of law have contributed to this problem”, the report said.

But according to him, security incidents have continued against Kosovo Serbs, and the case of Serbian politician Oliver Ivanovic's murder is cited.