At its meeting held on July 20, the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPC) rejected a request by five Serb prosecutors and 15 administrative employees of the Basic Prosecution Office in Mitrovica to withdraw their resignations. They had left their posts in November 2022, during the collective withdrawal of Serbs from Kosovo’s institutions.

At the time, around 130 judges, prosecutors and administrative employees also left the justice system. Members of the Kosovo Police and local government officials in the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north—North Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zveçan and Zubin Potok—also submitted their resignations.

The withdrawal from the institutions followed a call by the Serbian List, the main political party representing Serbs in Kosovo, which is backed by Belgrade. The move came in opposition to the Kosovo Government’s decision to replace vehicle license plates issued by Serbia with official Republic of Kosovo plates.

Legal expert Blerim Burjani says the former employees’ requests to return should undergo an objective review. According to him, the process should examine the motives that led to their departure, as well as the possibility that they may have been under pressure from criminal structures.

Burjani believes that reinstatement cannot take place automatically. He considers that the procedure should be conducted in accordance with the law through a public competition that guarantees equal opportunities for all candidates and requires them to pledge to perform their duties free from political influence.

He called for an impartial and realistic assessment of the intentions, causes, incentives or pressure that may have influenced their departure, including possible pressure from the criminal structures of Radoiçiq and Vuçiq. According to Burjani, the facts and circumstances must be weighed carefully, while any request for reinstatement must be based on the legislation in force.

In comments to “Bota sot,” Burjani said that a competition should be announced and that all individuals worthy of performing the duty independently of politics should apply. He added that, as part of the application, candidates should sign a sworn declaration pledging to act independently of politics and political emotions.

According to him, everyone has the right to apply in a public competition, but the former employees cannot seek to return as though nothing had happened, namely without providing reasons and motives for automatic reinstatement.

Meanwhile, today, Kosovo’s acting president, Albulena Haxhiu, announced that she had signed decrees dismissing seven prosecutors from the Serb community, following the decision of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council.

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