Kosovo’s Prosecutorial Council, KPC, voted on Monday to terminate all memorandums of cooperation with civil society organisations in a vote which was supported by six members.

Only one member voted against the proposal which was put up by the Head Prosecutor, Zejnullah Gashi. He said that, in recent years, several organisations and media outlets have been granted priority to publish footage and information about the suspects in the initial phase of investigations.

“We have cooperated with different organisations so far and I think that this has to stop because our actions have resulted in many lawsuits against us… I think that these acts have to be assessed and, in this regard, I think that they have to be abolished,” Gashi said.

He said that it is “unacceptable” that the prosecution allows the media to film during police operations and that the media publications “jeopardize the integrity of investigations, confidentiality, and affect legal certainty.”

Milot Krasniqi, the only KPC member who opposed the proposal, asked for more time until the vote, demanding that first all memorandums be reviewed and a bylaw which would regulate the forms of cooperation be created.

“This is a breach of a commitment made by the former Head Prosecutor,” Krasniqi said.