Initial and second hearing

On 21 July 2016, Kosovo Judicial Institute with the support of OSCE conducted training on: “Initial and second hearing”.

The purpose of this training was to treat the dilemmas and practical difficulties when applying the provisions referred to initial hearing and second hearing toward providing alternatives for various situations which may be faced by judges at this stage of the proceedings.

As part of this training were elaborated the characteristics of the initial and second hearing, development and running of the procedure, the role of judge and prosecutor at the initial and second hearing. Whereas, the training itself focused on discussions of issues and practical circumstances such as; summon of the injured parties to initial hearingn, the preliminary assessment of the indictment, circumstances based on which is determined or not the date of the main trial, awaiting for the decision on possible appeals to the Court of Appeal and the acceptance of the plea agreement in the initial hearing.

Further, were explained cases of rejection of evidence as inadmissible, unnecessary and irrelevant, as well as the right of the parties and the injured until the end of the session, to propose the review and collection of new evidence

The methodology applied in this training was interactive discussion where participants consistently expressed the difficulties and confusions faced in the current judicial practice.

Beneficiaries of this training were judges and prosecutors of basic level from the region of Gjakova, Peja and Prizren.