Kosovo is considering joining the Convention on serving sentences in the country of origin

The Ministry of Justice organized a meeting of the inter-institutional Working Group, attended by representatives of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, including the Kosovo Judicial Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, and the Office of the Prime Minister. The meeting was held as part of preparations for Kosovo’s accession to the Inter-American Convention on Serving Criminal Sentences Abroad.

Participants reviewed the legal and institutional issues related to this process.

The Convention provides an important legal basis for international cooperation concerning the transfer of convicted persons. Under its terms and procedures, they may serve the remainder of their sentence in their country of origin. Thus, a Kosovar citizen serving a sentence imposed by a state party to the Convention may be transferred to the Republic of Kosovo to complete the remainder of the sentence there.

The Ministry of Justice described this initiative as an important step toward expanding Kosovo’s international legal cooperation and strengthening relations with various states, including the United States and Ukraine, in the field of criminal justice.