Important news for people detained by the police because of not wearing a mask

With the adoption of the Law for the Prevention and Combat of COVID-19, the failure to wear a mask or to keep the distance from citizens is punished by 35 euros.

However, prior to the adoption of this law, citizens for the same actions have been sentenced to various fines even higher than they are now presented with the Anti-Cavid law.

Kosovo police have told television that in the absence of the Law to prevent pandemic, in order to implement the decisions of institutions, police have initiated criminal cases by Article 249 and 250 of the Kosovo Criminal Code.

As for other non-penal cases, police say they have imposed fines in co-ordination with aunary inspectors.

While the Sanitary Inspectorate of the Food and Veterinary Agency has made it known that the fines for the physical persons who have not kept the mask or distance have gone from 50 to 100 euros.

Sanitary Chief Inspector Ibrahim Tersnjaku has indicated that only in July, since the Kosovo Government made it mandatory to wear the mask, the Inspectorate in co-operation with the Police has imposed fines on some 1500 physical persons.

However, such actions by the Police and Inspectorate are being considered illegal by law - enforcement connoisseurs. Yll Zekij, from the Kosovo Institute for Justice, stresses that prior to the adoption of the Law on Unedia competent bodies, there has been no legal basis for the pronunciation of these fines.

While for the fines that have been pronounced, Anton Noecaj, legal adviser at the Centre for Legal Assistance and Regional Development, has stressed citizens have the right to complain in the institutions of justice.

The draft law on preventing and fighting Pandemia COVID-19 on the territory of the Republic of Kosovo was adopted on Friday, August 14th, and with the introduction of this law, police have full legal authorisation to act on those who do not respect it.