Gjilan, October 23 – Kosovo Law Institute (KLI) in cooperation with the State Prosecutor have organized on Wednesday in Gjilan the seventh and last roundtable “Justice in 2013 elections”, with the participation of all stakeholders of the justice institutions of central and local level, with candidates of political parties, civil society and media.
Mr. Betim Musliu from KLI said that the purpose of this roundtable is to raise the debate and sensitize all stakeholders, political parties and the general public about the readiness of justice institutions to fight any action towards voting manipulation in the elections of November 3, 2013.
This proactive role this year was made with the initiative of the Chief State Prosecutor, who has activated the justice institutions, in preventing and fighting criminal offenses against voting rights. Musliu said that this proactive role was a recommendation derived from the KLI report published last year “Organized Crime in Elections: Policy analysis of prosecution and sentence”.
This year, on the initiative of the Chief State Prosecutor, Mr. Ismet Kabashi on September 18, 2013 signed a Memorandum of Cooperation “Regarding the 2013 elections” between Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, Kosovo Judicial Council, Kosovo Police, Central Election Commission and the Election Panel for Complaints and Appeals. The purpose of this memorandum is to increase the cooperation and coordination between these institutions in undertaking activities to successfully fight criminal offenses against voting rights, including here, the prevention of these criminal offenses that are in conflict with the legislation in force. As a result of this memorandum, the State Prosecutor in cooperation with the Kosovo Police, have compiled the Standard Action Procedures (SAPs) to increase the efficiency of actions for criminal offenses against voting rights. KLI will monitor the implementation of the Memorandum of Cooperation “Regarding the 2013 elections”.
Representatives of the justice institutions have warned strict measures against all potential voter abusers that may happen regarding the November 3 elections of this year. National Coordinator for Elections by State Prosecutor, Laura Pula, said that justice institutions for the November 3 elections are prepared as never before to play a proactive role in preventing and fighting all criminal offenses against voting rights. Pula said that justice institutions have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation “Regarding the 2013 elections”, from which the State Prosecutor in cooperation with the Kosovo Police have compiled Standard Action Procedures (SAPs), that ensure the effectiveness of fighting all criminal offenses against voting rights. Pula said that in the whole territory of Kosovo 50 prosecutors will be on duty along with Investigators from Kosovo Police. “The main principle that emerges from the SAPs is the detention/arrest of all persons who in one way or another will act against voting rights”.
Pula said the Criminal Code with the Chapter devoted to criminal offenses against voting rights has severed the sentence. She said that police with prosecutors have already started investigations in several cases regarding these elections and several measures were imposed against suspected persons. “This shows the seriousness that justice institutions have to prosecute the vote abusers”.
Chief Prosecutor of the Basic Prosecution in Gjilan, Mr. Jetish Maloku, said that prosecutors will implement the legal provisions and SAPs to prevent any kind of manipulation with the citizen’s vote“. Prosecutors of this prosecution will actively undertake activities and measures during the entire election process in the investigation and prosecution of all those who are in conflict with the legal provisions related to the criminal offenses against the right to vote. For this we have assigned prosecutors on duty in all municipalities covered by the Basic Prosecution in Gjilan”. Regional commander of Gjilan from Kosovo Police, Elmina Mahmuti said that police officers throughout the electoral process will be vigilant to respond to all cases related with elections.
“We are prepared and have our action plans…The police will cover 117 points in the seven municipalities of Gjilan region, where will be engaged the 22 best regional investigators and which have been dealt on this issue”. Mahmuti said that cooperation with the State Prosecutor through SAPs would really provide an increased efficiency of police and prosecutorial reactions in all cases related to criminal offenses against voting rights. “We ask everyone to help clear up the election –related cases, denouncing them in the Kosovo Police”.
The president of the Basic Court of Gjilan, Zyhdi Haziri, said that judges in Gjilan regarding the 2010 elections have mostly imposed prison sentences against voting abusers. “How important the elections are, the decision of judges, which have evaluated the damage, caused and imposed sentences mainly with effective imprisonment…This year, same as the police and the prosecution, and the courts have decided to have the prosecutors on duty to respond effectively to election related cases. Haziri has elaborated some of the criminal offenses against voting rights, emphasizing that the New Criminal Code has severed the sentences.
As in previous debates, representatives of political parties, where most of them were candidates for mayors, congratulated this initiative, saying that these activities were missing precisely in the previous elections, as they raised concerns about election related issues, starting with the removal of posters, the involvement of the commissioners under investigation in the November 3 elections, photographing votes by voters, as well as addresses where the cases of abuse of elections should be reported, lunch and dinner in campaign time for political purposes etc.
This was the latest activity in the series of discussion roundtables in Kosovo’s main centers that are developed within the project “Initiative for increasing the efficiency of justice institutions for free, fair and democratic elections in Kosovo” supported by the Embassy of Great Britain in Pristina.