Kosovo’s parliament passes a invoice on leasing a few of its jail house for Denmark’s use

Kosovo’s parliament on Thursday authorised a invoice on leasing among the nation’s jail house to Denmark, following an settlement to assist the Scandinavian nation deal with its overcrowded jail system.

Below the deal, signed in 2022, Danish authorities would ship foreigners convicted in Denmark to serve time in Kosovo. Danish nationals could be excluded, as would these convicted of terrorism or battle crimes, in addition to mentally sick prisoners.

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Kosovo’s lawmakers voted 86-7, with no abstentions, in favor of the invoice, which provides Denmark using 300 cells on the jail within the city of Gjilan, south of the capital of Pristina, for 10 years.

The invoice nonetheless must be signed by Kosovo’s president to grow to be regulation. It may be carried out as soon as it is revealed within the official gazette.

It remained unclear when Denmark, which agreed to pay Kosovo 210 million euros ($227 million) for using the jail house, would begin sending convicts to Kosovo.

The settlement additionally stipulates that the convicts despatched to Kosovo should serve their time right here below the identical situations as in a jail in Denmark, and in accordance with Denmark’s worldwide obligations.

The deal additionally gives for the potential for deporting foreigners on to their dwelling nations after the top of their sentence in Kosovo.

Kosovo authorities have stated they are going to spend the cash from Denmark on enhancing the Balkan nation’s correctional establishments, in response to the Justice Ministry, and in addition on renewable vitality tasks.

Kosovo’s lawmakers did not go an earlier draft of the invoice throughout a session final week, after which the federal government provided a brand new draft. A part of the opposition was not in favor of the sooner draft, although no causes have been made public. It wanted at the least 80 votes in favor, or two thirds of the 120-seat parliament, to go.

Denmark’s Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard referred to as Thursday’s vote by Kosovo’s parliament “actually excellent news.”

He stated in a press release that sending convicts to Kosovo “will assist getting our hard-pressed jail system again into steadiness.”

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“On the similar time, it sends a transparent sign to international criminals that their future isn’t in Denmark, and due to this fact they need to not serve time right here both,” Hummelgaard added.

A Danish warden will run the ability in Kosovo, with the assistance of native jail workers.

Kosovo’s jail system has the capability to accommodate as much as 2,800 prisoners. It was not instantly potential to search out out the present variety of unoccupied cells.