Civil society groups file complaint against Kosovo Police for alleged systemic misconduct

A coalition of five civil society organizations has lodged a formal complaint with the Ombudsman in Pristina, accusing the Kosovo Police of a "systemic pattern of illegal and irregular conduct." The organizations assert that police have systematically overstepped their legal boundaries, assuming powers that do not belong to them.

The complaint meticulously documents numerous cases where Kosovo Police allegedly usurped administrative, executive, and judicial authority. The groups warn of a rapidly deteriorating situation where police operate outside legal frameworks, directly threatening human rights and the rule of law. Specific concerns include the execution of demolitions and property seizures without any court order or the presence of authorized executive bodies.

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in the complaint, a series of cases are detailed in which the Kosovo Police have assumed administrative, executive, and judicial powers that do not belong to them by law.

Furthermore, the organizations highlighted "extra-institutional actions," such as the imposition of verbal bans on movement and entry into Kosovo without written decisions or the right to appeal, thereby denying citizens access to legal remedies. They also pointed to instances where police arbitrarily declared permits issued by municipal authorities invalid, effectively acting as a court.

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we consider that these events are not isolated incidents, but a dangerous trend that erodes the legal certainty of all citizens.

The complaint also raises indications of discrimination, noting that these practices are frequently implemented in areas with a Serb majority and are often linked to the discovery of national symbols. This suggests selective enforcement based on nationality. The organizations stressed that these events are not isolated incidents but represent a dangerous trend undermining legal certainty for all citizens, warning that the Kosovo Police should not simultaneously act as the deciding body for rights, the enforcer, and the judge.

They have urged the Ombudsman to initiate an urgent investigation, verify the legality of the police's actions in the cited cases, and issue recommendations to relevant authorities to halt such practices. The complaint was signed by the New Social Initiative (NSI), Aktiv, the Center for Affirmative Social Action (CASA), the Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER), and the Center for the Representation of Democratic Culture (ACDC).

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The Kosovo Police must not simultaneously be the body that decides on rights, the body that executes, and the body that judges.