- Limaj doesn’t rule out possibility of elections in Kosovo (RTK1 & KTV)
- Kosovo war rape victim visits the place where she was sexually assaulted by Serbs (GazetaExpress)
- Kosovo Serb detained for war crimes against civilians (GazetaExpress)
- CEC: No political entity applied for north elections yet (KTV)
- Thaçi travels to Brussels, to meet with senior EU representatives (KTV)
- Physical clashes in PDK Skenderaj/Srbica branch (KTV)
News
Limaj doesn’t rule out possibility of elections in Kosovo
(RTK1 & KTV)
Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Limaj says that in order for the country to enter elections, the conditions must be met.
According to him, it also depends on the Kosovo Government’s performance. In an interview with KosovaPress 45/45, Limaj said that currently the Government is accomplishing its tasks.
Nevertheless, Limaj does not rule the possibility of elections. According to him, Kosovo has got a tradition of entering elections before a mandate is finished.
Regardless of this, Limaj says that presently there are no signals of elections in the country.
Limaj considers statements of the opposition for overthrowing the Government as normal, saying that he takes their suggestions very seriously.
In regard to possible coalitions and red lines, Limaj says that it is too early to discuss that.
Limaj stated that the Government coalition is facing difficulties, adding that in order for it to function properly, it needs to be maintained.
Fatmir Limaj, who is co-chairman of the Kosovo Negotiating Team, says that revocation of the tariff, as a condition put by Serbia to resume dialogue, should be considered to be suspended as soon as Belgrade authorities stop their actions that were the reason why the tariff was originally imposed.
He says that Kosovo is ready to resume the dialogue, but it depends on other sides as well.
“Presently, we think that we have conveyed our message to the international community that we are ready. They should work with Serbia, so that it can be ready to sit at the table. Whenever Serbia is ready to sit at the table, we are ready to sit also. It does not depend on us only, it depends on other sides, too,” Limaj said.
Limaj pledged that no final agreement will happen, unless light on the missing persons is shed, and unless cases of sexual violence during the Kosovo war are investigated.
Kosovo war rape victim visits the place where she was sexually assaulted by Serbs
(GazetaExpress)
Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman, who became the first woman to publicly speak about her experience as a sexual violence victim during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war, has visited on Sunday the place where she was sexually assaulted by Serbian police forces 20 years ago.
On this day activists have called on institutions to mark the 14 April as the “Day of War Rape Victims” in Kosovo. Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman said that in 1999 Serbian forces who sexually assaulted her, have transformed her children dreams into nightmares. She said that to ease her pain, after the war she addressed international missions in Kosovo, UNMIK and EULEX, to deliver justice adding however that this was denied to her. “As a 16 years old girl when this terrible crime happened, my child dreams became nightmares. I asked for justice to be delivered since 1999 from UNMIK, EULEX, but I was denied the justice. I will not stop and I will continue for additional 20 years to ask for justice either in Kosovo or other countries,” she said. Krasniqi Goodman said that this crime should not be silenced and called on other war rape victims to speak publically and ask for justice be done.
Feride Rushiti, executive director of the Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT), said Krasniqi Goodman is an ambassador of Kosovo, and proposed that 14 April be marked as the day honouring all victims of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo. On 16 October 2018, Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman, returned from the United States, becoming the first survivor of sexual violence during the war to speak publically on how Serbian police forces raped her in April 1999 near the town of Vushtrri. No verified statistics exist on the number of victims of sexual violence inflicted by Serbian forces during the Kosovo war, but authorities estimate that around 20.000 women have been exposed to sexual violence during the war.
Kosovo Serb detained for war crimes against civilians
(GazetaExpress)
A Kosovo court has decided to keep a Serb man under arrest as a suspect for crimes against Albanians during the 1998-99 war.
At the order of the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo, the Basic Court in Pristina has ordered a month detention for the suspect identified only as Z.K. According to the Special prosecution, the Kosovo Serb man is suspected of committing war crimes against civilians in the village of Nerodime e Eperme, Ferizaj Municipality in 1999. He was arrested on Friday.
CEC: No political entity applied for north elections yet
(KTV)
Almost one week has passed since the Kosovo President Thaçi called elections in north, but no political entity has applied for the election certification, yet.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) spokesperson Valmir Elezi stated to KosovaPress that since beginning of the deadline for application on 9th April, no political entity has applied for the election certification. He explained that CEC shall wait for applications until the end of the deadline, which is on 18th April at 24:00hrs.
The deadline to apply for accreditation as election observers has begun on 9th April and it ends on 12th May. Only accredited observers may observe the election process.
According to Elezi, so far there has not been any issue in organising this election process.
He says that CEC believes that election observation is essential, as it has an impact on increasing trust of citizens and other stakeholders in the election process.
So far, it has been reported that Srpska Lista will take part in the early local elections on 19th May in Kosovo north.
Thaçi travels to Brussels, to meet with senior EU representatives
(KTV)
President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi travelled on Sunday to Brussels, where he will have meetings with senior representatives of the European Union.
In the framework of this visit, President Thaçi will meet with President of the European Council Donald Tusk, and the EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn.
He will ask for the EU leaders to continue with support and implementation of visa liberalization for Kosovo’s citizens as soon as possible.
In Brussels, Thaçi will also talk about the necessity of speeding up the European integration agenda for the Western Balkans, as a prerequisite to securing long-term peace in Europe.
Physical clashes in PDK Skenderaj/Srbica branch
(KTV)
Internal PDK elections in the municipality of Skenderaj/Srbica on Sunday, ended up with physical clashes, sources of Koha Ditore stated.
The clashes happened between the group of Sami Lushtaku and the one of Nuredin Lushtaku, which supports the mayor Bekim Jashari.
Referring to the sources, the physical clashes happened at a meeting, which was held with the purpose of organising elections in the section of Klinë e Epërme. Afterwards, the election process was interrupted.
Skenderaj/Srbica has been a PDK stronghold since establishment of the party; however, the divisions there were brought to surface in the last local elections, when Bekim Jashari joined the race for mayor.
