HRW: No improvements in human rights conditions in Kosovo
"Not only did Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in February fail to clarify its international legal status, but it also brought no visible improvements to human rights conditions", says the 2009 Human Rights Watch report.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, January 15, 2009
"The weak criminal justice system frustrates efforts to tackle impunity for ethnic violence and other serious crimes", it says.
"Minorities face continued violence and discrimination. Few displaced persons and refugees returned to their homes, even as forced returns from Western Europe increased", the report underlines.
The number of voluntary returns to Kosovo continues to decline, with only 229 (including 80 Serbs) registered during the first eight months of the year 2008, the report says and argues that "returns are hampered by the unstable political situation and the lack of conditions for sustainable return, including employment and social services".
