President Osmani still doesn't forgive any prisoners

It's the second year in a row that President Vjosa Osmani has not pardoned a prisoner.

Neither last year nor this end, Osman has forgiven any of the prisoners, despite 97 requests from the Kosovo Correcting Service in the office.

“For all the pleas of prisoners for forgiveness throughout the year, the SKK has prepared and prosecuted in the Presidency 97 requests for forgiveness. So far, in terms of apology, we have not accepted any decree from the president of the Republic of Kosovo”, they say from the Kosovo Correcting Service.

From the president's office, they haven't returned answers to what reasons no requests have been approved.

The grace of no prisoner, for so many years, according to former Director of the Correct Service Sokol Zogaj is a violation of human rights.

This is a violation of human rights I don't know if others have reacted, but I in my career that I was the general director of every party the president or president has reacted and has ever forgiven more and sometimes less, and that since no one has come has been forgiven, I don't know where the reason is”, said Sokol Zogaj .

While from the Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms, they say there is a considerable number of people deserving of pardoning part of the sentence until they express surprise at the presidency's actions.

“Such a failure by the president is unclear and to some extent unacceptable, is an opportunity for all presidents to be exploited, even at religious holidays or other state holidays, each time the presidents reserve this right for persons deprived of freedom, what we have expected at least at this end, the president will exploit her right to forgive”, said Valetina Demoli MDLNJ.

Meanwhile, the Kosovo Institute for Justice shows the effects of pardoning part of the sentence for those who meet the conditions.

The “in the last few years has been developed practices where the Office of the President of the Republic is not exploiting its right to offer the pardon of some of the punishment for persons suffering punishment in Kosovo's correctional institutions. Such an approach remains in the full discretion of the President to exploit this right or not. In practice, however, this approach has an effect in preventing re-socialisation, re-enforcement and promotion of the idea that people who respect house rules in corrective institutions repent of the criminal acts they committed, and work hard to return as worthy citizens to society after the suffering of punishment. In this direction, even the President's Office must reflect and begin exploiting this right in practice by ensuring that this right to be realised in practice only for criminal acts allowing legislation in Kosovo and respecting procedures”, said Ehat Miftaraj Director of the IKD.

In 2022 at the office of the president of Kosovo, 195 requests had been filed by prisoners, until they were argued that the relevant Commission dealing with the examination of these requirements has not recommended any convicts to be pardoned.

Since 2009, more than 300 people have been pardoned by the presidency, until Osman's predecessor, Hashim Thaci, had pardoned over 10 prisoners during his term.