KJC Closes the Door on the Return of Serb Judges, Haxhiu Expected to Sign Their Dismissal from Duty

The Kosovo Judicial Council has rejected the request of judges and administrative staff from the Serb community to withdraw their resignations and return to Kosovo’s judicial system.

The decision was approved at today’s meeting with 9 votes in favor, one against, and one abstention. The chair of the KJC, Rrustem Thaqi, did not take a stance in the vote, while member Ivana Milenković voted against.

Following this decision, the names of the judges and staff members who had resigned are expected to be forwarded to the acting President of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu. This step will pave the way for the procedure for their dismissal from duty.

Haxhiu welcomed the KJC’s decision and announced that she will act as soon as the proposals are officially submitted to her.

“I welcome the proposal of the Kosovo Judicial Council for the dismissal from duty of the Serb judges who had resigned in 2022,” Haxhiu wrote.

She indicated that any action will be taken on the basis of her constitutional and legal competencies.

“In accordance with constitutional and legal responsibilities, as soon as the Kosovo Judicial Council sends the proposals, I will undertake actions for their dismissal from duty,” she declared, as reported by “Bota sot.”

The resignations of the Serb judges and staff were submitted in November 2022, as part of the withdrawal of Serb representatives from Kosovo’s institutions.

During that period, dozens of Serb judges, prosecutors, and administrative workers withdrew from justice institutions in the north of Kosovo.

Their withdrawal was part of a broader wave of resignations from Kosovo’s institutions, which also included members of the Kosovo Police and other institutional officials.

The resignations took place within a coordinated political strategy led by Serb political structures and official Belgrade. For this reason, today’s decision by the KJC is also considered a rejection of the possibility that an institutional withdrawal, carried out under tense political circumstances, could be undone simply by annulling the resignations.

The issue of the return of Serb judges has returned to the center of political and institutional debate in recent months.

Acting President Albulena Haxhiu had asked the KJC to conclude the relevant procedures regarding the resignations. In July, the Council meeting did not take place due to a lack of quorum, while the review of the issue remained on the agenda.

Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti had also stated that the judges who left could not return simply through a political decision. He had linked their departure to the developments of 2022.

With the latest decision of the KJC, the procedure moves to the next phase. The proposals are expected to be sent to acting President Haxhiu, who has made it clear that she will undertake actions for their dismissal from duty.