International conference on freedom of expression

Judges and constitutional-legal advisors of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo participated in the International Conference organized by the Council of Europe Office in Prishtina on the topic: “Freedom of expression and constitutional jurisprudence in the Western Balkans”, held at the “Swiss Diamond Hotel” in Prishtina.

In her opening speech, the President of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, Mrs. Arta Rama-Hajrizi, inter alia, said the, “The Constitutional Court of Kosovo has never restricted itself to relying solely on the interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution of the country when it comes to respecting the freedom of expression”. According to her, in protection of this fundamental human right, “the Constitutional Court has always taken into account and compared with the consolidated practices of the European Constitutional Courts, and has always faithfully applied the articles of the European Convention on Human Right and the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)”.

Among the main speakers at the conference, aiming at discussing and exchanging experiences of the constitutional courts of the region in the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights, was the judge of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, Ms. Remzije Istrefi-Peci, who gave a presentation on the issue of freedom of expression for judges under the ECtHR practice, Mr. Naser Ajdari, Judge of the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia, Ms. Mirjana Lazarova, former judge at the ECtHR, Ms. Beth Grossman, lawyer in the Great Britain, Mr. Paolo Cavalieri, Professor of Media Law at the University of Edinburgh, Ms. Fatma Gülbin Üzcüre, Senior Legal Advisor at the Constitutional Court of Turkey and Ms. Sevima Sali Terzic, Senior Legal Advisor at the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Following the conference was also shown the video animation made by the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, with the support of the Council of Europe Office in Prishtina, on the right and ways of submitting referrals by individuals and other authorized parties to the Constitutional Court.