Kurti: Departure of Serb judges was an organized political action, return cannot be ordered

Outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti described the resignation of former Serb prosecutors and judges from judicial institutions as a coordinated and politically motivated move.

During a session of the Kosovo Government, he recalled that the mass exodus of members of the Serb community from state institutions at the end of 2022 marked the onset of a wave of sabotage against the state. “Since then, we have called on them not to abandon their duties, but we neither can nor is it our place to order their return,” Kurti stressed.

Using direct terminology, he clarified the difference between political appeal and institutional obligation: “We had the right to plead with them not to leave, but we do not possess the constitutional and legal authority to compel them to return. The abandonment was individual, though politically organized; the return falls within the realm of law.”

He further argued that return can never be in violation of the Constitution and laws, especially since the resignations constituted an attack on legality itself. Kurti noted that the Kosovo Police and the Prosecutorial Council have previously handled these cases, while the Kosovo Judicial Council could not hold today’s meeting due to lack of quorum. “We expect the matter to be resolved at the next meeting,” he stated.