The speech of the Acting Chief State Prosecutor, Besim Kelmendi, on the occasion of the beginning of the Week for the Rights of Crime Victims
Honorable Your Excellency, President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Vjosa Osmani - Sadriu,
Honorable President of the Supreme Court of Kosovo Mr. Enver Peci,
Honorable Chairman of the Prosecution Council of Kosovo Mr. Jetish Maloku,
Dear former Chief State Prosecutors
Dear chief prosecutors, presidents of courts, prosecutors and judges,
Dear Your Excellency, Ambassador of the USA in Kosovo Mr. Jeffery Hovenier,
Dear ambassadors
Dear representatives of diplomatic missions and international partners in Kosovo,
Dear representatives of local institutions, media and civil society
Honorable U.D. manager of the Office for the Protection of Victims and you defender of victims of crime,
Dear attendees,
It is a special honor to be your host today and to open Week for the Rights of Crime Victims.
The participation of the heads of local institutions and international partners in this event is the best message that we are all together determined to protect the victims of crime.
I am very happy and it is very encouraging to see today an entire institutional structure which aims to protect, care and provide all basic and essential professional services to all victims who have suffered from various criminal acts.
The fact that this week is organized in support of the US Embassy in Kosovo and supported by other international friends gives us the right to believe that victims of crime have powerful partners and supporters.
Therefore, allow me to especially thank the Embassy of the United States of America and OPDAT for the contribution made in advancing the rights of the victims throughout these years, which has made us a model for other countries in the region. Also, I would like to thank the other international partners who in different forms and ways have helped the State Prosecutor and the Office for Victim Protection and Assistance.
In our mission to strengthen the rule of law, we have had special partners and we would like to have the media, which I want to thank for all those cases that they have researched and published, where many of them have become the object of investigations by side of the State Prosecutor's institution. Also, I would like to give a special thanks to many civil society organizations that are making a valuable contribution to the identification and protection of different categories of crime victims, so we greatly appreciate their role.
Dear attendees, allow me to express my full commitment as the Acting Chief State Prosecutor in strengthening the rule of law and the protection of crime victims, therefore I call on you for a professional and institutional cooperation and coordination, in so that each of us, based on the legislation we have, which is among the most advanced in the region and beyond, offers all our capacities to protect the victims of crime from the moment of their identification, during various legal procedures until their full recovery and rehabilitation.
Our commitment must be serious and professional, so that at no time there is negligence and delay in pursuing and punishing those persons who violate the rights, fundamental freedoms and other values of the victims, guaranteed by the Constitution, the laws of Kosovo and international conventions.
Thus we will provide all victims with a fair trial and ensure a normal life in the spirit of peace, freedom and prosperity.
I am optimistic that the commitment of the State Prosecutor, victims' defenders and all other relevant Institutions and mechanisms, which in any way have legal obligations to support victims of crime, will not be lacking, because victims and survivors of crime keep their eyes always towards all of us, and especially towards justice, which must ensure the citizens that the perpetrators of the crime will be punished, while the victims will be rehabilitated and reintegrated to live free and equal with everyone else, therefore we can be calm and satisfied only when the treatment of the victims is done in the best professional way and when the victims will be satisfied with our services and actions.
I want to emphasize only during the nine months of 2022, the Office for the Protection and Assistance of Victims, which operates within the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor, has provided assistance to 2,163 cases of victims of all categories. Also, the defenders of the victims have participated in 2148 court hearings and 578 hearings in the prosecutor's offices.
As for the compensation of crime victims, during the year 2022 alone, the commission for compensation of victims had a total of 15 requests to the Ministry of Justice. Where 12 of them have been approved, two (2) more are requests in process, while only one (1) request has been rejected. The support, protection and care we are giving to victims of crime through victim advocates shows our institutional and societal readiness to help them restart their lives.
Recently, an increase in cases of rape and sexual harassment has been observed, where during this time 49 cases of rape and 64 other cases of sexual harassment were recorded. This situation has forced us to take additional measures within the State Prosecutor's Office to prevent and fight this type of criminality, so in each prosecutor's office, except for the coordinating prosecutors for cases of domestic violence, human trafficking and the protection of journalists, coordinating prosecutors have also been appointed for criminal offenses against sexual integrity, to which cases we are giving a priority for solving them.
Dear prosecutors and defenders of the victims,
As much as our efforts are continuous, however, we are aware that a lot of work and dedication is still needed from us, as prosecutors, as defenders of victims and from other justice institutions to prevent abuse, rape, mistreatment and murder of victims.
You must be attentive to all those indications that warn of violence against victims and that are worrying for our citizens. These issues should be dealt with as a priority during the daily work of prosecutors, investigating police officers, victim advocates and other employees of the justice system and other institutions competent for the protection and support of crime victims.
I expect from you that with professionalism and dedication you will serve all victims whenever they are harmed by crime and knock on the doors of the prosecutor's office, treating them with care, professionalism and dignity.
I want to remind you that, beyond the legal obligation, we must see the protection of victims as a noble commitment of our work. Guaranteeing the rights and treatment of crime victims in harmony with local and international acts is not only a function of the principles of justice, but also belongs to the highest contemporary humane principles and values.
I am convinced that with the commitment of all of us it is possible to create an effective and efficient system not only of the prosecution but also of all other justice institutions, the Police and those who have legal obligations to support crime victims.
In the end, I would like to emphasize that the institution of the State Prosecutor will continuously and professionally intensify the fight against all criminal offenses, including cases of human trafficking, sexual integrity, domestic violence, gender-based violence and all other forms of crime, because only in this way will we influence the increase of trust not only by citizens but also by international partners in the justice system, at the same time we will strengthen the authority, credibility and integrity of the State Prosecutor.
As the Acting Chief State Prosecutor, I assure all citizens that I am in support of this common path for the establishment and strengthening of the rule of law in the Republic of Kosovo.
Thank you very much for your attention and I encourage you for more strength and energy to achieve success in your work!
