Title: The use and misuse of Strasbourg case-law by a constitutional court: the case of Kosovo

Authors: Enver Hasani; Perparim Gruda

Addresses: Faculty of Law, University of Prishtina 'Hasan Prishtina', Kosovo, Rr. Agim Ramadani P.N. 10000, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo ' Faculty of Law, University of Mitrovica 'Isa Boletini', Mitrovica, Kosovo. Str. Ukshin Kovacica, 40000 Mitrovica, Republic of Kosovo

Abstract: The Kosovo Constitution requires that its human rights provisions "be interpreted consistent with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights." But an unprecedented reliance on ECtHR case-law has led to déni de justice in four randomly selected rulings of the nation's constitutional court. The Court classified the decisions as reopening proceedings cases, then wrongly stated that Article 6 ECHR does not apply to such cases. Through a comparative approach, this article argues that the Kosovar court used Strasbourg case-law in an arbitrary and inappropriate manner. The national court placed itself in the shoes of the Strasbourg tribunal and cited rulings for what they do not say. The Kosovar adjudicator abstained from its constitutional jurisdiction, effectively calling non-liquet and denying justice to the aggrieved.

Keywords: constitutional court; reopening proceedings; precedent; case-law; Strasbourg Court; European Court of Human Rights; ECtHR; European Convention on Human Rights; ECHR; Constitution of Kosovo; non-liquet; déni de justice; petitum; human rights; fundamental freedoms; Kosovo.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLAP.2026.150295

International Journal of Public Law and Policy, 2026 Vol.12 No.1, pp.94 - 119

Received: 26 May 2024
Accepted: 28 Jun 2024
Published online: 08 Dec 2025 *

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