Kamenica Municipal Court Inaugurated
USAID’s Justice Support Program inaugurated the newly renovated Municipal Court in Kamenica, one of 8 courts renovated in little over a year under USAID’s Model Courts program initiative. Kamenica Municipal Court, which joined the Consortium of Model Courts in April 2009, is now one of the most open, most accessible, and best equipped in South Eastern Europe.
USAID Mission Director, Patricia Rader, joined justice sector leaders from the Kosovar Albanian and minority community to celebrate the newly renovated court.
Court President, Hevzi Murseli, stated “My sincerest thanks to USAID and American people for their support in helping us create a functional environment in the court that is welcoming to all citizens.”
The USAID Mission Director noted that the renewal of the justice system is felt throughout the country as it is in Kamenica. “Judges and court staff are now in a unique position to lead the way for a new era in Kosovo, dedicated to serving the needs of citizens,” said Rader.
Kamenica Municipal Court and Model Court facilities throughout the country are now equipped with ideal conditions for efficiency, including centralized court records management offices and automated case file-tracking mechanisms. To ensure public hearings are open and transparent, the Justice Support Program has re-engineered Model Courts throughout the country to create and furnish an additional 18 courtrooms in the court system.
Through technical assistance, training, and facility refurbishments under the Model Court initiative, the Justice Support Program has transformed the courts from insular and inefficient institutions, to ones which have raised citizen expectations for accessible and transparent justice services.
Supreme Court President Fejzullah Hasani, who began his career in his hometown of Kamenica, remarked that the renovation of the court buildings signals that justice is the way of the future. “Through timely and fair delivery of justice, we will signal a departure from the troubles of the past not only to our citizens, but to the world.”
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