THE BASIC COURT ALLOWS GENDER REASSIGNMENT IN KOSOVO.

The Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the Basic Court that allowed the conversion of a person’s gender from female to male, to M.P. originally from Kosovo, but living abroad.

This decision – the first of its kind in Kosovo – has repealed the 2011 Civil Status Law respecting that of Gender Equality which entered into force in 2015.

The Court of Appeals in early August upheld the ruling of the Basic Court of Prizren that allows for gender reassignment based on the Law on Gender Equality, the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and the European Convention on Rights and Freedoms.

“The Basic Court incorporates and recognizes the right to gender identity of persons who may, at a later date, without a surgical intervention, request a change of gender,”  the Court of Appeal official said.

Mr. M.P. sent the request to the Office of Civil Status at the Ministry of Internal Affairs where the latter rejected his request even after the positive decision of the Court of Appeal.