Kosovo Ombudsperson: All ethnically motivated attacks require effective investigations

The Office of the Kosovo Ombudsperson told Kosovo Online that it is concerned about all forms of violence, including ethnically motivated violence, discrimination, intimidation, or any other conduct that violates the rights of members of any community.

Asked about the large number of ethnically motivated incidents against Serbs in Kosovo, the Ombudsperson's institution said in a written response that all such cases require effective investigations, the establishment of responsibility, and appropriate protection for victims, regardless of their ethnic background.

“The Ombudsperson's institution does not have a mandate to replace law enforcement authorities in identifying and classifying criminal offenses. The data available to the Ombudsperson mainly concerns complaints and cases submitted to the institution or initiated within its mandate to protect and promote human rights. The institution's annual report, for example, presents data on complaints received, the ethnicity of complainants, and the categories of rights that were allegedly violated,” the statement from the Ombudsperson's Office in Pristina said.