Kosovo’s acting President Albulena Haxhiu has formally removed 18 ethnic Serb judges from office following a proposal by the Kosovo Judicial Council, or KJC.
Haxhiu said the decision concerned judges who had resigned from Kosovo’s justice institutions in 2022.
“Following the proposal of the Kosovo Judicial Council, and in accordance with my constitutional and legal responsibilities, today I relieved 18 Serb judges of their duties who had submitted their resignations in 2022,” Haxhiu said.
The decision follows a request made by the KJC on August 27 concerning judges and support staff from the Serb community who had sought to return to their positions after previously submitting their resignations.
Around 130 judges, prosecutors and administrative employees resigned from Kosovo’s justice system at the end of November 2022 as part of a wider collective withdrawal of Kosovo Serbs from state institutions in the four Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo: North Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zvečan and Zubin Potok.
The collective resignations created significant challenges for the functioning of institutions and the representation of the Serb community within Kosovo’s judicial system.
EU Expresses “Deep Regret”
The European Union expressed “deep regret” over the Kosovo Judicial Council’s decision not to accept the withdrawal of resignations submitted by Serb judges and judicial staff who later sought to return.
The EU said the decisions not to accept the withdrawal of resignations were inconsistent with the principles of a multiethnic judiciary.
According to the EU, the decisions risk damaging the trust of Kosovo’s Serb community and undermining efforts to achieve a sustainable return of Kosovo Serbs to the country’s institutions.
The issue has also triggered political debate in Kosovo, with international partners calling for judicial institutions to be allowed to address the matter independently.
Haxhiu and caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti had previously made public statements regarding the issue, while some embassies from Kosovo’s partner countries urged political leaders not to place pressure on the Kosovo Judicial Council over its decision.
A similar debate had previously emerged regarding the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council and the return of Serb prosecutors who had resigned from their positions.
The latest decision formally ends the service of the 18 judges whose resignations were submitted nearly four years ago, while broader questions remain over the reintegration of Kosovo Serbs into judicial and other state institutions in northern Kosovo.
