KOSOVO | New Ombudsman elected

On 28 September 2020, the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo elected Mr. Naim Qelaj as the new Ombudsperson of Kosovo for a five-year and non-renewable mandate.

In his brief introductory speech, Mr. Qelaj pointed out that he is honoured and privileged to serve as the Ombudsperson and pledged to carry ahead the work of his predecessors: “I have found the institution in a very good standing, both in terms of credibility and the outstanding work that has been carried out through the years, so I plan to continue to build on the contributions made by former colleagues,” he said.

Mr. Qelaj has a long experience on human rights. He served as a lawyer in the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms, then continued his work in his own law office, where he defended many cases of human rights violations, highlighting the cases of discriminatory actions and raising his voice against gender based inequality. For two years he served as the National Coordinator against Domestic Violence, where he was actively engaged to address access to justice of victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence.

Mr. Naim Qelaj is taking the office, after the mandate of the Mr. Hilmi Jashari, former Ombudsman ended.

Source: Ombudsperson Institution, Kosovo