March 25, 2021
The Republic of Kosovo has a long way to go in terms of human rights. Since the rights of LGBTI+ persons are an integral part of the human rights package, considerable effort must be made to achieve a satisfactory level of full implementation and further advancement of the rights of these individuals.
The work and dignified representation of LGBTI+ persons will be challenging for the next mandate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo, as there are a large number of deputies openly declaring themselves against or neutral on LGBTI+ rights.
It is deeply concerning that individuals who represent the population of Kosovo and who pledge to work for the good of the people hold personal beliefs and homophobic and transphobic mindsets that exclude and deprive an entire community of their rights.
The lack of commitment from past governments in this regard has resulted in a very unfavorable and detrimental position that LGBTI+ individuals currently face. Cases of crime and hate speech are increasing more and more, especially during the pandemic period, where they have seen a rise like never before.
Urgent measures are being taken for a number of LGBTI+ individuals by CEL Kosovo, whose physical and psychological integrity is being threatened by their own families to random passers-by on the streets.
Given this worsening situation, the future government must take concrete steps and be more inclusive as LGBTI+ individuals almost always remain outside institutional-level plans, programs, and policies. LGBTI+ individuals need better and more reliable functioning of law enforcement institutions to prevent cases of violence and torture.
CEL Kosovo calls on future leaders of the Parliament of Kosovo to prioritize the issues and challenges of LGBTI+ persons, their physical and psychological well-being.
Similarly, future leaders are urged to work towards raising awareness within parliament to vote in favor of same-sex marriages in the Civil Code Project, a right already provided by the Constitution of Kosovo but clashes and overlaps with other laws of the Republic of Kosovo.
Kosovo should follow the example of the European Parliament, which recently declared the European Union a zone of freedom for LGBTI+ persons, as one of the requirements for integration into the European Union is the respect for human rights.
