Women in the rule of law

Justice through the magnifying glass!

30 December 2013

As Theodore Roosevelt once said, "anything worth doing will not be easy", and this is exactly Sevdije's way of life. She tackles tough issues that would make anyone uncomfortable at best; she invests her unlimited energy into resolving difficult criminal cases, and makes sure that those who do not obey the law will have to look over their shoulder for the far reaching had of law that is, Sevdije Morina.

Sevdije Morina, Deputy Chief Prosecutor at Kosovo Special Prosecution Office (SPRK)

Morina is the Deputy Chief Prosecutor at Kosovo Special Prosecution Office (SPRK). She coordinates the work of the local SPRK, gives instructions to local prosecutors, and works on different criminal cases.

Since she was a student, she has been attracted more to the criminal cases. "After starting work at the Pristina District Court, thirty years ago, it just confirmed my desire to deal with criminal matters. There I decided to work for the prosecution," says Sevdije. The desire to create a safer environment for the citizens of Kosovo and to let criminals know that they will not be allowed to live out illegal profits is the main motivation that gets Sevdije going. Whilst, the biggest challenges in her work as a prosecutor stem from the cases where difficulties arise in the examination of a case!

According to Sevdije, the justice system in Kosovo, despite the many challenges, is actually much better than it was before. "Structural reforms and changes in the basic laws, although created difficulties in the beginning, turned out to be right and now we all have overcome the initial difficulties," says Sevdije.

Nevertheless, problematic is still the lack of human resources. "There is a need to increase the number of positions in relation to the number of population, by creating more staff members that would be part of the system and will work together with experienced judges and prosecutors", she adds.

The most important thing in the judicial field is that you should be professional, fair and impartial in the work that you do. "My job as a prosecutor is to institute criminal legal proceedings against those who commit criminal offences. And justice is served when the guilty party is convicted and the innocent party is not."

Sevdije highly values the cooperation with her international colleagues. "We have very good cooperation, we discuss issues, cases and we exchange experiences. We have a lot to learn from each other," she says.

Morina's message to the future young prosecutors is to work hard on their professional growth, because only in this way will they be successful in pursuing criminals. "It is important to love your work, to take account of human rights and freedoms during investigations," states Sevdije. "The prosecutor should aim for the truth, and not to just win the case by any means".

Sevdije's plans for the future are to continue to work in the Kosovo prosecutorial system for the benefit of the Kosovo citizens.

She says that if she would have to start her career again from scratch, justice is the field that she would choose, again.

Sevdije sees the prosecutor's job as one of the most difficult professions, but when performed with commitment, it is also rewarding. Her main goal remains to bring the perpetrators to justice. "Furthermore, it is important to convey the message to all others that illegal actions will not be tolerated, and that there is a law and institutions that will prohibit those actions," concluded Morina.