EU adds pressure to return Serbian judges to Mitrovica, Kosovo to dilemma

The question of the return of Serbian judges and prosecutors resigned nearly three years ago has once again returned to question. This is due to EU top diplomat request, Kaya Kallas, who said he expects the same to resume their work.

The door of the Foundation Court in Mitrovica continues to be open even further, for the return of 25 judges and 119 other people to their jobs.

Resigned in November 2022, their resignations have not yet received epilogue from the Kosovo Judiciary Council, until this issue was once again questioned during EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Kaya Kallas's visit.

The same at the meeting with representatives of the justice system in the north, he said he expects Serbian judges and prosecutors to return to work again.

Ehat Miftaraj, from the Kosovo Institute for Justice, says their return is the most appropriate choice, but conditions must be set.

“would be good news if the Judiciary and Prosecutorial Council under the conditions, the procedure criteria they would define would enable the Serbian prosecutors and judges to return to their jobs, including the support staff what is important to mention, is that Kosovo under no circumstances dares to return this topic to Brussels as subject to discussion between the two states”, Ehat Miftaraj, IKD director for Dukagini, broadcast Periscope.

The need for judges of the Serb community to have judges on trial also highlighted by lawyers working in that part of the country, saying Kosovo has obligations that it must fulfill.

Kosovo's “Republic as a serious state must aspire to the international arena and, in relation to the contracting obligations, international agreements appear as mature and institutional responsibility in relation to the international factor and its contractual obligations that take over”, lawyer Musa Damati has said.

KDR leader Albert Zogaj in the media has stated that the matter of restoring judges is internal issues of the judicial system and should not raise political discussions on this.

Judges, prosecutors and administrative staff from the Serbian community to the Constitutional Court and Prosecutorship in Mitrovica resigned in November 2022, following the Kosovo government's decision to reregister cars that have license plates issued by Serbia at those RKS Republic of Kosovo. /Periscope/