UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, August 5, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Constitutional Court still reviewing latest requests regarding Assembly constitution (Koha)
Court’s upcoming interpretation to pave way out of political deadlock (RTK)
Kurti invites Serbs in the north to apply for 121 job positions (ekonomia)
Kosovo Embassy in Skopje condemns the anti-Albanian chants (media)
Krasniqi condemns chants in North Macedonia: Hate speech opposes democratic values (media)
Islamic Community of Kosovo supports KLA War Veterans' protest (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic: I presented facts about breakup of Yugoslavia (Tanjug)
Christopher Hill becomes senior adviser to Pupin Initiative (Kosovo Online, social media)
UN experts concerned over crackdown by authorities in Serbia (N1)
Mission of Serbia to UN: Serbia is committed to human rights, democracy does not tolerate violent protests (N1)
Memorials for Croatian Serbs in Belgrade and Novi Sad (N1, media)
Bosniak MPs charge Parliament Speaker Brnabic with ‘inciting hatred and intolerance’ (N1)

International Media:

Kosovo Serb jailed over attack on NATO peacekeepers in north (Balkan Insight)
UN experts press Serbia to end crackdown on protesters (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Constitutional Court still reviewing latest requests regarding Assembly constitution (Koha)

The Constitutional Court of Kosovo is still reviewing recent requests related to the constitution of the new Assembly. In response to Koha, the Court said it will make a decision after thoroughly examining all constitutional aspects raised in the submissions. All parties and the public will be informed in due time.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has formally asked the Court to interpret the legal consequences if the Assembly is not constituted within the 30-day deadline, as outlined in the Constitution and a prior Court ruling (KO124/25). Specifically, her request seeks clarity on: The legal consequences of failing to constitute the Assembly within the required timeframe; The legal implications of constituting the Assembly after the deadline; The limits and consequences for the President's powers in relation to a late-constituted Assembly.

Other parties, including PDK, LDK, and previously AAK, have also submitted similar concerns. In June, AAK received a response.

On February 24, the Court issued a temporary ruling prohibiting MPs from taking any actions after the 30-day deadline expires. This temporary measure applies from July 27 to August 8, 2025. The Court argued that allowing decisions after the deadline could cause irreparable damage to Kosovo's constitutional order and the functioning of key institutions.

Court’s upcoming interpretation to pave way out of political deadlock (RTK)

Only four days remain until the expiration of the temporary measure imposed by the Constitutional Court, which prohibits Members of Parliament from taking any action toward the constitution of the Assembly. Constitutional law experts say that the Court's upcoming interpretation will open a path out of the political stalemate. It is not ruled out that the right to propose the Speaker of Parliament may be given to another party, or even that new elections may be held.

Naim Jakaj, senior researcher at the Kosovo Law Institute (IKD), has not excluded the possibility that the Court’s temporary measure may be extended beyond August 8. “In previous cases where it imposed a temporary measure, the Court also extended it, as it hadn’t been able to fully process the case and the responses within the set deadlines,” he said.

Meanwhile, constitutional law professor Zahir Cerkini said he does not expect the Constitutional Court to decide on calling new elections. “What has been heard in the public and what I think the Court cannot do is to call for elections. It cannot dissolve the Assembly. Elections cannot happen without the Assembly being constituted,” Cerkini said.

The current situation regarding the failure to constitute the Assembly has sparked a clash between the former president and former vice-president of the Constitutional Court.Kadri Kryeziu, former vice-president of the Court, publicly accused its former president Enver Hasani, claiming that Kosovo is in an unprecedented legal situation because of Hasani’s rulings. Hasani responded with irony, saying he would only reply if Kryeziu is able to verbally reproduce what he has written.

Kurti invites Serbs in the north to apply for 121 job positions (ekonomia)

The caretaker Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, addressed Kosovo Serbs in the Serbian language, inviting them to apply for the open positions announced by the Regional Water Company "Mitrovica." “The Regional Water Company ‘Mitrovica’ has established working units and announced job openings for 121 positions in the municipalities of Leposavic, North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, and Zvecan. The application deadline for 68 positions is this Friday, August 8, while the remaining 53 positions close on August 19,” Kurti wrote.

Kosovo Embassy in Skopje condemns the anti-Albanian chants (media)

The Embassy of Kosovo in Skopje strongly condemned the anti-Albanian chants heard during a basketball match in Kumanovo between North Macedonia and Romania. The embassy expressed concern over the recurring nature of such racist slogans at sports events and welcomed the condemnation by North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and the strong stance of Albanian political representatives. The embassy also praised the activation of the prosecution, hoping the perpetrators will face legal consequences to establish accountability for hate speech.

Krasniqi condemns chants in North Macedonia: Hate speech opposes democratic values (media)

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Memli Krasniqi has strongly reacted to the chants “Death to Albanians” and “Gas chambers for Albanians,” shouted during a sports event in North Macedonia in the presence of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and a government delegation. “Albanians are a state-forming nation in North Macedonia and key partners in its Euro-Atlantic journey. Hate speech against them is not only dangerous but also fundamentally against the democratic and European values that should unite our peoples,” he wrote.

Krasniqi emphasized that silence in the face of fascist rhetoric is complicity and that the dignity and well-being of any community should never be negotiable. He called on the North Macedonian government to clearly distance itself from such extremist acts, stating that silence is tantamount to approval. He also criticized Kosovo’s outgoing Prime Minister for his close ties with the government in Skopje, suggesting he bears moral and political responsibility for the growing anti-Albanian climate.

Islamic Community of Kosovo supports KLA War Veterans' protest (media)

The head of the Islamic Community of Kosovo (BIK), Mufti Naim Ternava, met on Monday with the chairman of the Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans' Organization (OVL-UCK), Hysni Gucati. During the meeting, they discussed the peaceful protest organized by KLA War Veterans. Mufti Ternava expressed full support for the protest and called on believers to participate in large numbers in defense of the KLA’s values and in support of its leaders who are, according to him, unjustly being tried by the Specialist Chambers in The Hague. The peaceful protest is scheduled for August 7 at 17:00 in Skënderbeu Square in Pristina.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: I presented facts about breakup of Yugoslavia (Tanjug)

Responding to criticism by some media outlets that he insulted the European community in Sunday's speech commemorating the victims of Croatia's August 1995 'Operation Storm,' Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday he had spoken the truth and had no influence on whether someone was insulted by it or not, Tanjug news agency reported. It is a fact that someone recognised the breakup of Yugoslavia and the secession of Slovenia and Croatia from Yugoslavia, Vucic said, noting that the move had been "unlawful because Yugoslavia was the only entity recognised under international law".

"Is it a fact that then they also recognised Bosnia and Herzegovina - again, without asking the Serbs? Is it a fact that, after that, once we accepted all that and created the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, they broke up the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, too? Facts. Is it a fact that, after they told us that the borders of the (former Yugoslav) republics are state borders, they crushed the borders of our republic and agreed a secession of Kosovo and Metohija? Is it a fact that they bombed this country due to that?" Vucic told reporters during a visit to the construction site of an expressway near Sabac, western Serbia.

"They are insulted, and we are not", Vucic said, noting that there were no two sides to the truth, but only one truth. "And this is the truth. Do I need to talk about the Brussels Agreement, about what we have had to do - or otherwise face the toughest sanctions - and about what someone else has never had to do?" he added. It is important that we have had enough time to rebuild Serbia, he said.

"Kosovo is Serbia - I am not ashamed of saying that openly anywhere. What can I do about whether someone is insulted or not?" Vucic said. Asked to comment on claims by Kosovo caretaker PM Albin Kurti that Serbia was making efforts to "destabilize" Kosovo, Vucic noted that Belgrade was working on stabilisation in the region. "But Serbia is no longer the punching bag they have been imagining", he concluded.

Christopher Hill becomes senior adviser to Pupin Initiative (Kosovo Online, social media)

Christopher Hill, former US Ambassador to Belgrade, has become a senior advisor to Pupin Initiative, the organization said in a post on X social platform, Kosovo Online portal reported.

The Pupin Initiative also said this represents a step ahead in strengthening the presence of the organization in Washington, as well as in the foreign policy cycles of both parties in the US.

"With this, the Pupin Initiative continues its bipartisan mission of strengthening relations between Serbia and the USA through cooperation with Republicans and Democrats", the post added.

UN experts concerned over crackdown by authorities in Serbia (N1)

A group of UN special rapporteurs and independent experts expressed concern over, as they said, intensifying crackdown on anti-government protesters in Serbia and called on the government to cease retaliation and intimidation against them, reported N1.

A press release from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that UN experts “expressed deep concern over Serbia’s intensifying crackdown on students, professors, human rights defenders, civil society actors and citizens amid one of the largest protest movements in the country’s recent history”.

“What we are witnessing in Serbia is a systematic attempt to silence critical voices and dismantle the independence of academic institutions. This is not just a student protest - it is a test of human rights accountability and democratic resilience. Access to justice, effective remedies and reparation is a fundamental right under international human rights law. Victims of human rights violations must be able to seek justice, obtain redress, and be protected from further harm and retaliation”, the press release quoted the experts as saying.

Read the OHCHR press release at: https://tinyurl.com/mw8hmbrm

Mission of Serbia to UN: Serbia is committed to human rights, democracy does not tolerate violent protests (N1)

“Serbia remains firmly committed to the protection of human rights, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, including unlawful/unregistered gatherings that go well beyond the legal boundaries of freedom of expression. However, no democracy can tolerate violent protests, or deliberate attempts to destabilize institutions under any pretext”, the Mission of Serbia to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva said yesterday in a post on X social platforms.

The Mission of Serbia to the United Nations made those remarks in reaction to the statement of UN human rights experts, who expressed deep concern over, as they said, intensification of government repression against students, professors, human rights fighters, civil society actors and citizens.

Read the Mission's full post on X at: https://tinyurl.com/5xbwfspn

Memorials for Croatian Serbs in Belgrade and Novi Sad (N1, media)

Two separate events were held in Belgrade and Novi Sad on Monday in memory of the victims of the expulsion of Serbs from Croatia in 1995 just a day after the state ceremony in Sremska Mitrovica, N1 reported.

Serb families from the Krajina area of Croatia gathered in Belgrade’s St Mark’s church for a memorial service. That gathering and memorial service have become traditional and were usually attended by ranking state officials. This year, only Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Sapic was seen standing at the memorial. A number of survivors of the 1995 Croatian military and police operation Storm told reporters after the memorial service that the Krajina Serbs had been betrayed.

In Novi Sad, the student-organized memorial was staged on central city streets. A student speaker told several hundred gathered people that the Serbian state ceremony was led by “the same people who spread hatred and war in the 1990s from a safe distance, while in Croatia the anniversary of the operation is used to spread a dark, defeated ideology instead of showing piety for the victims”.

Bosniak MPs charge Parliament Speaker Brnabic with ‘inciting hatred and intolerance’ (N1)

MPs from the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) of the Sandzak filed criminal charges against Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic for “inciting national, racial and religious hatred and intolerance”, N1 reported.

The SDA (which predominantly rallies ethnic Bosniaks in western Serbia) said in a press release that two of its MPs filed the charges with the Higher Public Prosecution in Belgrade. They had the support of ethnic Albanian MP Shaip Kamberi of the PDD.

According to the SDA, Brnabic openly expressed an intent to impose Islamophobia as an acceptable norm of social behavior and fan inter-ethnic conflicts to upset relations between members of other faiths and nationalities with the Bosniak people, N1 added.

International Media

Kosovo Serb jailed over attack on NATO peacekeepers in north (Balkan Insight)

Pristina court sentenced Milos Antovic to nearly five years' jail and a 20,000-euro fine for participating in violent clashes in May 2023 that left 93 NATO peacekeeping troops injured.

The Basic Court of Pristina on Monday sentenced a Kosovo Serb, Milos Antovic, to four years and 11 months’ imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 euros for attacking the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo, KFOR, and the Kosovo Police, in a violent protest in the Serb-majority northern municipality of Zvecan on May 29, 2023.

Antovic, who was not present for the verdict, earlier on Monday reached a guilty plea deal with the prosecution for the crimes of attack against an official person, hooliganism, illegal possession of weapons and narcotics.