Internal and external communication of judicial authorities

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Published: December 6, 2023

The IRZ has been supporting the Kosovo Public Prosecutor's Council (KPC) for several years to address topics around internal and external communication. The press spokespersons of the Kosovo courts have also been actively participating in this exchange since December 2022. Against this backdrop, two workshops on the topic of internal and external communication of judicial authorities were held in Pristina, Kosovo, in October and November 2023.

The aim of these workshops was to strengthen judicial transparency in Kosovo by improving the professionalism and the promotion of active press and public relations work by judicial authorities and thus further strengthen the population's trust in the judiciary In addition, the aim is to extend internal communication and institutional cooperation between the judicial authorities.

The use of social media by judicial authorities

Press spokespersons from the Kosovo Public Prosecutor's Council, Kosovar Public Prosecutors’ Offices and courts discussed the use of social media by judicial authorities during an event held on 24-25 October 2023.

The seminar was led by Ms. Brigitte Koppenhöfer, former Presiding Judge at the Düsseldorf Regional Court, and Ms. Katrin Latki-Baier, PR and communications consultant.

In addition to the fundamental aspects regarding aims, strategies, formats and content, the speakers also discussed the common challenges and dangers associated with the use of social media by public prosecutors and courts. In particular, they addressed how to deal with “fake news” and disinformation on social media, and discussed the civil and criminal aspects of the use of social media with participants and the question of how new technologies and AI will influence press and public relations work of judicial authorities in future.

The event primarily offered participants the opportunity to discuss various topics, exchange experiences and to consolidate what they had learned using numerous examples and practical exercises.

Justice crisis communication

The press spokespersons of Kosovo's courts met again during the following week, on 1-2 November 2023, as part of a workshop on the topic of crisis communication in the judiciary. A tailor-made crisis communication concept was developed during the workshop under the guidance of Ms. Koppenhöfer and Ms. Latki-Baier using the example of a hacker attack on the IT structure of a court.

The joint exchange of expert knowledge and experiences was intensified during the week 13-17 November 2023 as part of a study trip on press and public relations issues in Düsseldorf and Wuppertal. The 10-member delegation took part in media training in addition to expert talks at the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Düsseldorf Local Court, the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Justice and the State Office of Criminal Investigations.