The country’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, welcomed Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege to his office.
The announcement came from the Government’s Media Office, which stated that Kurti thanked the laureate for his visit to Kosovo.
“The Prime Minister expressed deep gratitude for the Nobel laureate’s support for our survivors of sexual violence during the war,” while adding that the government is working closely with institutions and civil society actors on transitional justice processes, especially with women’s organizations and survivors of sexual violence.
According to the announcement, the head of government informed the guest that the Institute for Documenting War Crimes has been established, and the first National Strategy for Transitional Justice has been approved.
“Additionally, the Government Commission for the Recognition of the Status of Survivors of Sexual Violence during the War has been accepting applications from survivors since 2018, with guaranteed safe handling of information. So far, over 2,000 applications have been received,” the statement continues.
Furthermore, it mentions that the Prime Minister highlighted the increased capacity to address war crimes by increasing the number of police investigators.
“Prime Minister Kurti expressed appreciation for Dr. Mukwege’s support in collaboration with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the installation of Alketa Xhafa’s artwork Thinking of You, which was displayed in The Hague this past June.”
It is also noted that Mukwege praised Kosovo and its institutions for their cooperation with civil society and their work on transitional justice.
Mukwege is a human rights advocate. Along with Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, he received the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for “his efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”
He has received many other awards for his work, including the United Nations Human Rights Prize, the Right Livelihood Award, and the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize.
