gender-based violence. The Ombudsperson LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS found the state institutions responsible for The government approved a draft Civil Code violating Sebahate Morina’s right to life allowing same-sex civil unions, to be because they neglected a domestic violence regulated by a special law. report filed by her daughter days before she DISCRIMINATION was murdered by her ex-husband. Kosovo courts handed down one life sentence and a ROMA, ASHKALI AND EGYPTIAN PEOPLE 25-year sentence in femicide cases. A judge Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian people and a prosecutor faced disciplinary continued to face barriers to accessing proceedings for convicting the rapist of a 15- drinking water and employment, as well as year-old girl to only eight months’ accessing online education for children imprisonment. during Covid-19 school closures. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Following a civil society petition, the government awarded €20,000 in damages to Three doctors were penalized for speaking to the family of Kujtim Veseli, an 11-year-old the media about practices in a public hospital Ashkali child who was repeatedly raped and cardiology clinic “without permission and finally murdered in 2019. Months before the damaging the image of the institution”. Two murder, Kujtim’s abuser had confessed to the of them were prohibited from promotion or police that he had raped Kujtim but he was salary raises for three years, and one not arrested or detained. The Ombudsperson received a 40% pay cut for three months. found a violation of Kujtim’s right to life. JOURNALISTS Journalists faced threats, indirect pressure, 1. “Kosovo: Defamation lawsuits seeking to silence environmental obstruction, online violence and attacks. In activists must be withdrawn”, 28 June February, journalist Visar Duriqi was injured by unidentified people. In October, journalists were attacked by protesters while covering a KUWAIT police action in Mitrovica. In December, Pristina Basic Court ordered the house arrest State of Kuwait of two people for threatening journalist Vehbi Head of state: Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah Kajtazi. Head of government: Sabah al-Khaled al-Hamad al- HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS Sabah Amnesty International called on Austrian hydropower company Kelkos Energy to The authorities detained and prosecuted withdraw defamation lawsuits against activists government critics under legal provisions Shpresa Loshaj and Adriatik Gacaferi, who criminalizing speech deemed offensive to had criticized the environmental impact of its the head of state. Members of the stateless 1 Kosovo operation. Kelkos withdrew the Bidun minority continued to face lawsuits in October. discrimination. Courts continued to hand down death sentences; no executions were REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS reported. The government agreed to provide shelter BACKGROUND and grant temporary protection to up to 2,000 Afghan evacuees waiting to be In February, the Emir suspended parliament resettled in other host countries. Afghans for a month, stating it was in a bid to defuse hosted in the camps enjoyed no freedom of tensions between the government and movement outside and visits by media and parliament. Reasons for the tensions other observers inside the camps were included a proposed general amnesty bill to restricted. pardon a group of former opposition members of parliament (MPs) convicted in Amnesty International Report 2021/22 224