Human Rights Review Panel - 21st Session

Press Release
Number              03-2014
Date                   1.07.2014
Contact              John J. Ryan

The Human Rights Review Panel (the Panel) held its 21th session in Pristina from 26 to 28 May 2014. 

In a follow up decision to the so called “Vidovdan cases” (two cases relating to incidents of Vidovdan day on 28 June 2012) the Panel found that the EULEX Head of Mission had implemented its recommendations.

One case was found admissible. It related to the alleged failure by EULEX to investigate a usurpation of the complainant’s flat. The Panel found that the complaint raised issues under Articles 13 (a right to an effective remedy) and 14 (freedom from discrimination) of the European Convention of Human Rights as well as Article 1 of Protocol 1 of the Convention (a right to peaceful enjoyment of one’s possessions). It invited the EULEX Head of Mission and the complainant to submit their additional observations on the merits of this case.

The Panel declared seven other cases inadmissible. In two of them it found that it had not been shown that EULEX was involved in any capacity in the matters complained about. In four others, the Panel found that they fell outside of its competence, as the Panel has no jurisdiction to review judicial proceedings before the Kosovo courts. One case was declared manifestly ill-founded.

The Panel communicated eight cases to the EULEX Head of Mission, asking for his observations on their admissibility and merits. Seven of them have been lodged by relatives of persons missing or killed during the conflict in 1999. The complainants submit that EULEX has failed to carry out executive investigations into their relatives’ deaths and disappearances. One case concerns proceedings before the Privatisation Agency of Kosovo.

All decisions will be published on the Panel’s website upon translation into the Albanian and Serbian languages.

The next Panel session is scheduled to take place from 25 to 27 August 2014.

During the first half of 2014, there has been a significant increase in the Panel’s case load with 33 new cases registered. There are currently 45 cases pending before the Panel, 23 of which have been communicated to the parties, two have been declared admissible. The remaining cases are under review.

Please see www.hrrp.eu for further information on the Panel and its case-law.

 Notes to the editor;
The Human Rights Review Panel (Panel) for EULEX Kosovo, as an independent accountability mechanism for alleged violations of human rights,  reviews complaints from any person claiming to be the victim of human rights violations by EULEX Kosovo in the conduct of its executive mandate. The Panel is not a judicial or disciplinary body. The mechanism will solely look into whether a violation of human rights occurred or not and formulate recommendations for remedial action. Such action does no include monetary compensation.  The Panel is independent in the exercise of its functions which it performs with impartiality and integrity.