Professor Remzije Istrefi-Peci of the Law Faculty at the University of Prishtina and judge of Kosovo’s Constitutional Court has been named the 2024 recipient of a global human rights award.

The Prize for Defending Human Rights is awarded by the Global Constitutionalism Committee, which is organized by the University of Texas at Austin in the United States. Professor Istrefi-Peci received the honor during the Global Constitutionalism Summit, held from March 20 to 22, 2025.

“This award holds special significance for our country, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo, and the University of Prishtina’s Law Faculty, where I serve as both a judge and a professor of International Human Rights Law,” said Istrefi-Peci. 

The Global Summit, which recognized the University of Prishtina professor, is an international conference covering all fields of constitutionalism. Over its three-day duration, the event hosts various lectures and discussion panels. 

During her stay in New York, Judge Istrefi-Peci will also deliver a lecture at Columbia University’s Harriman Institute titled, “Implementing the Istanbul Convention Through Judicial Practice at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo.” 

The Istanbul Convention, adopted by the Council of Europe in 2011, aims to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence. 

Istrefi-Peci has taught at the University of Prishtina’s Law Faculty since 2008 and was appointed as a judge of Kosovo’s Constitutional Court on August 9, 2018.