OSCE Mission in Kosovo

A functioning legal system is instrumental for human rights protection. Working to protect and promote human rights in Kosovo, the OSCE Mission supports relevant officials, including judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other legal professionals.

Legal system monitoring

To help Kosovo's judicial institutions better protect human rights and improve the quality of their services, the Mission monitors and reports on proceedings in the administrative, civil and criminal justice systems.

The reports focus on their compliance with domestic law and international human rights standards, and suggest concrete remedial actions for observed shortcomings. Issued periodically, the reports cover different areas of the law ranging from legal representation, to witness protection and property transactions.

These reports draw the attention of judicial authorities to the observed shortcomings to help prevent them from reoccurring. The Mission also organizes workshops with judges to analyse reports and discuss recommendations for remedial actions.

Similarly, the Mission proactively monitors the work of the police service. The legal system reports and the police conduct reports jointly provide a comprehensive overview of human rights compliance from arrest to adjudication.

Building capacity

The Mission also supports the work of the Kosovo Judicial Institute, which provides continuous education for judges and prosecutors, and emphasizes the application of human right standards in judicial practices.

To assist legal professionals in representing their clients and protecting their human rights during proceeding, the Mission works with the Kosovo Bar Association to promote human rights standards. It also provides training support to Bar-exam candidates.