05.09.2025. » 13:23 | ACDC
Civil Society Organizations Appeal to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
A group of civil society organizations has addressed a joint letter to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Michael O’Flaherty, drawing attention to the serious and systematic violations of human and minority rights of the Kosovo Serb community.
To: Mr. Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
Subject: Invitation for a Visit to Kosovo
Respected High Commissioner O’Flaherty,
The signatories, a group of civil society organizations focused on defending the rights of non-majority communities in Kosovo, wish to draw your attention to the occurrence of serious and systematic violations of human rights and of minority rights as guaranteed under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. Despite formal constitutional guarantees, the rights of communities, particularly those of the Kosovo Serb community, are being routinely violated, disregarded, or selectively applied, creating deep mistrust toward institutions and a pervasive sense of insecurity among non-majority communities in Kosovo.
Substantiated evidence points to grave violations of the rights, well-being, and dignity of the Kosovo Serb community, highlighting a persistent pattern of non-compliance with the standards of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
- In the last two years, there have been systematic efforts by institutions in Kosovo to suppress the rights of the Kosovo Serb community to manifest their national symbols, including the flag and other insignia, in violation of Article 5 – Right to preserve and display cultural and national symbols of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
- There are documented cases of members of the Kosovo Serb community being detained and sentenced for expressing political opinions in public, which constitutes a violation of Article 7 – Freedom of expression of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, guaranteeing to minorities the right to freely express their views without interference, as well as the related rights of peaceful assembly and association.
- Political participation of minorities is further restricted, with reports of actions by Kosovo authorities in which Kosovo Serb political parties are actively prevented from participating in elections and governmental structures, in violation of Article 15 – Participation in public affairs of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
- There are reports of alterations to voter registries in Serb-majority areas, which threaten to change the ethnic composition of non-majority communities, directly contravening Article 16 – Prohibition of altering population balance to restrict rights of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
- The long-standing concerns regarding the realisation of language rights by the Kosovo Serb community have, in recent years, reached alarming proportions. They are reflected in persistent failures to provide translation in official proceedings, the systematic exclusion of the Serbian language from public administration, and the deliberate omission of the Kosovo Serb alphabet from public signage, notwithstanding its recognition under Kosovo law, all constituting a clear violation of Article 10 of the Framework Convention, which guarantees national minorities the right to use their language.
These examples represent only a portion of the violations taking place. Under the guise of the rule of law, the Government of Kosovo has pursued a systematic policy of discrimination and marginalisation against the Serb community, through police abuse, administrative and economic restrictions, the closure of Serbian institutions and services, and the Central Bank’s ban on the dinar, thereby forcing vulnerable citizens to seek basic rights in central Serbia, reducing daily life to mere survival, accelerating emigration, and ultimately threatening both the community’s very existence and the viability of a multiethnic Kosovo.
In light of these concerns, we call on you, as High Commissioner, to undertake a visit to Kosovo, to give close attention to these matters, and to ensure they are systematically documented. Your direct engagement is indispensable for insisting on institutional accountability and for advancing the effective implementation of both domestic and international legal obligations. Civil society in Kosovo remains ready to engage with you and to contribute constructively to these efforts.
The signatories (in reverse alphabetical order):
- Youth Activity Partesh
- Women’s Right
- Women’s Inclusion Center
- Network for Civic Activism
- New Social Initiative – NSI
- Institute for Territorial Economic Development – InTER
- Institute for Public Research – IJI Gračanica
- Human Center Mitrovica
- Gračanica Online
- Forum for Development and Multiethnic Collaboration – FDMC
- Communication for Social Development – CSD
- Center for Social Initiatives – CSI
- Center for Peace and Tolerance Pristina – CPT
- Center for Affirmative Social Action – CASA
- Avenija
- Alternativna
- Aktiv
- Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture – ACDC
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