Kosovo’s Ministry of Justice has begun reviewing the legal and institutional requirements for the country to join the Inter-American Convention on Serving Criminal Sentences Abroad, an agreement that would enable convicted individuals to serve the remainder of their prison sentences in their home countries under specific conditions.
The Ministry of Justice held a meeting of the interinstitutional Working Group, bringing together representatives of several Kosovo institutions, including the Kosovo Judicial Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, and the Office of the Prime Minister.
During the meeting, the working group examined the legal and institutional aspects of Kosovo’s preparations for accession to the convention.
Joining the agreement would establish an important legal framework for international cooperation in the transfer of convicted individuals, allowing them, subject to the convention’s requirements and procedures, to serve the remainder of their sentences in their country of citizenship.
This means that Kosovo citizens serving prison sentences in countries that are parties to the convention could potentially be transferred to Kosovo to complete their sentences at home.
The Ministry of Justice said the initiative represents an important step towards expanding Kosovo’s international legal cooperation framework and strengthening cooperation with other countries, including the United States and Ukraine, in the field of criminal justice.
