Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 701 new cases, 14 deaths (media)
• Mayors want new anti COVID measures to be lifted (media)
• Osmani: We’ll make sure women are involved in Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (media)
• Szunyog: EU ready to support Kosovo government on its EU path (media)
• Lajcak: Very useful meeting with Phil Reeker (media)
• Osmani: April 14, the day of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (media)
• Gervalla-Schwarz: Childhood emigrant becomes Kosovo’s top diplomat (BIRN)
• PDK MP: Gervalla was on same line with Russia and Serbia (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 14 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (KoSSev)
• Tanin: Opening the door to the future requires transformation (KiM radio, Kontakt plus radio, RTK2)
• Serbian FM tells UN SC Albanian political extremism rising in Kosovo (N1)
• Brnabic and Yamashita on situation in Kosovo (Tanjug)
• SOC: Unfounded and malicious accusations against Sava Janjic (Radio KIM)
• Serb CSOs: Kosovo government and international representatives to condemn CDHRF’s hate speech and protect Fr. Sava (KoSSev)
• Kandic: It is shameful what CDHRF is writing about Fr. Sava (KoSSev)
• Family of Zoran Djokic from Pec seeks fair trial (KoSSev)
• Greek stance on Kosovo remains unchanged (Tanjug)
• RTV KiM: Physical attack on a young man in Gracanica (KoSSev, Blic, RTS)
• Protest in Gracanica due to the beating of a Serb; An ethnically motivated attack or a misunderstanding? (RTV KiM)
• Rakic: Should our children live in everyday fear that someone would attack them in the street? (Kosovo Online)
• Petkovic: Latest incident consequence of irresponsible politics and anti-Serbian rhetoric (Kontakt plus radio)
• Sava Janjic: The church in Samodreza turned into a public toilet, so much for religious tolerance in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, FB)
• Message from Brussels: Travel to EU countries with any vaccine (B92)

Opinion:

• Inter-ethnic cooperation in Kosovo: Can Kurti make use of this critical juncture? (newsocialinitiative.org)
• Mushkolaj: Let us not become allies of disinformation (Kallxo)
• Bounty of Serbian vaccine diplomacy shames the EU (Financial Times)
• How Serbia Can Learn from Germany’s Post-War Remorse (Balkan Insight)

International:

• When libraries burn (balcanicaucaso.org)
• Alleged Slovenian proposal for a peaceful dissolution of BiH creates controversy (EWB)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Rolling Film Festival puts fresh spotlight on anti-roma prejudice in Kosovo (BIRN)
• Sputnik V production to begin soon in Serbia, Iran, Italy (TASS)
• Bosnian journalists vaccinated in Serbian capital (N1)
• Hundreds of millions of women living lives ‘governed by others’, UN report shows (news.un.org)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 701 new cases, 14 deaths (media)

701 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 

Several news websites quote the head of the vaccination center in Prishtina as saying that so far 10,000 persons in Kosovo have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Citing data from the Ministry of Education, Radio Free Europe reports that in the last three weeks, 532 teachers and 712 pupils in Kosovo have been infected with COVID-19.

Mayors want new anti COVID measures to be lifted (media)

The Council of Mayors of Municipalities, organised by the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, held an online meeting today focusing on the pandemic situation and the government’s anti COVID measures, Indeksonline reports.

Drenas Mayor Ramiz Lladrovci said they have opposed the new restrictive measures imposed by the government and that all mayors agreed that the measures must be lifted, and that bars and eateries must be allowed to resume their work with respect for restrictive measures.

“We have also made several recommendations which will be sent to the Government through the Association of Municipalities. We have called on the government to secure more vaccines against the coronavirus and we have also asked for an economic package that will help businesses and other sectors that have been hit by the pandemic,” he said. 

Telegrafi reports that the mayors will ask the government to lift the curfew and allow bars and eateries to resume their activities.

Osmani: We’ll make sure women are involved in Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (media)

At the online launching of the report “A Seat at the Table: Women’s contributions to and expectations from peacebuilding processes” by the Kosovo Women’s Network and UN Women it was said that greater involvement of women is needed in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Among the key recommendations for the Government of Kosovo from the report are: to ensure women’s equal participation and representation in peace processes and to increase women’s representation in all elected and appointed decision-making positions at national and municipal levels, as per law.

During the online launch, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said women have had an outstanding contribution in the decisive state-building processes in Kosovo and that their role can never be denied. She said women and girls where there was fighting for freedom, where independence was sealed and that they are part of the state-building path, but that their voice was often not heard enough in the peacebuilding process. 

Osmani said women were not involved enough in the process of talks between Kosovo and Serbia but that this would change. “We have a new reality today. Women are in the leading positions of the state and in foreign policy … I will say with full responsibility that we will make sure that women are not involved in the dialogue but that they will be continuously consulted, both at the political level but also among the people. So women indeed have a seat at decision-making tables and this is not only the right decision but also the wisest,” she said.

Osmani also argued that dialogue cannot be successful until the voices of mothers of missing persons, the mothers of killed children and the survivors of sexual violence in conflict, are not heard.

Szunyog: EU ready to support Kosovo government on its EU path (media)

The European Union Special Representative in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, said after meeting Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti today, that the European Union is ready to support the Kosovo government on its EU path. “Thanks to Prime Minister Albin Kurti for sharing with the EU Heads of Mission in Kosovo his views and the plans of his government. The EU is ready to support the government on its EU path,” he tweeted.

Lajcak: Very useful meeting with Phil Reeker (media)

European Union Special Representative for the Kosovo – Serbia Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak said today in a Twitter post that he had a very useful meeting with Phil Reeker, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. “Always good to compare notes, coordinate and agree on our European Union – United States cooperation and future activities in the Western Balkans,” Lajcak tweeted.

Osmani: April 14, the day of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today after meeting MP Vasfije Krasniqi that April 14 will be marked from now on as the day of survivors of sexual violence in conflict in Kosovo. “April 14 can be an important anniversary day for some, a date of birth, the first day of work, and for some just a normal day. But for Vasfije Krasniqi, it is the date when her life changed forever. That day in 1999 she was forcibly abducted and brutally raped by Serbian forces. The burden of war took on a new meaning for her because it gained so much weight and became eternally indelible. The burden carried by Vasfije, a survivor of sexual violence in war, we must not allow for her to shoulder it alone, because this would be totally unfair and unacceptable. As she courageously shared her pain, bravery and the truth with us and the whole world, we too must fight alongside her and many other women and men like her, to tell the truth and to demand justice,” Osmani wrote in a Facebook post. “Vasfija is not alone – neither in this experience nor in the path she has undertaken to bring justice. Today she is the voice of 20,000 survivors of sexual violence in the last war in Kosovo.”

Gervalla-Schwarz: Childhood emigrant becomes Kosovo’s top diplomat (BIRN)

More than 40 years after leaving Kosovo as an eight-year-old girl, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, the daughter of a Yugoslav-era Albanian dissident, has been appointed as the country’s new foreign minister.

Donika Gervalla-Schwarz has taken over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Albin Kurti’s newly-established government after four decades living outside the country under very different political systems over the years, from Albania’s communist dictatorship to social democracy in Germany.

Gervalla-Schwarz was born in North Macedonia capital, Skopje, in 1971, when it was still part of socialist Yugoslavia. She spent her early childhood living between Skopje and Pristina, where her father, Jusuf Gervalla, was a well-known writer, singer and artist.

He was also a political activist, and the young Gervalla-Schwarz’s life was turned upside down in 1980 when her family had to migrate to Germany shortly after her father escaped arrest by the Yugoslav Police because of his involvement in campaigning for more rights for ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, which at that time was autonomous province within the Yugoslav republic of Serbia.

Before they left, the family were subjected to threats, Gervalla-Schwarz told BIRN in January. “We went through a very difficult one-month period, with expressions of violence against my mother, and with scenes I would not want any child to experience,” she said.

She was speaking ahead of the parliamentary elections in Kosovo in February, in which she ran for office as part of a group of politicians led by Vjosa Osmani who had quit the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK party and allied themselves with Kurti’s Vetevendosje (Self-Determination).

Gervalla-Schwarz won more than 71,000 votes, the fourth-largest tally among Vetevendosje candidates, and the party won the election by a landslide.

Read full article at: https://bit.ly/3uPUbrE

PDK MP: Gervalla was on same line with Russia and Serbia (media)

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP Blerta Deliu-Kodra said today that Tuesday was a day of shame for Kosovo at the United Nations Security Council and criticised Kosovo Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla for talking about corruption without being asked about the topic.

“It was a day of shame for Kosovo because of those that are supposed to work for Kosovo and its people. The PDK did not expect anything different because they are leading out of spite. We have a chief diplomat like Donika Gervalla who unfortunately was on the same line with Serbian and Russian representatives yesterday,” Deliu-Kodra told a press conference in Prishtina. “The new government believes that everything in Kosovo starts with them. The Foreign Minister said nothing about Kosovo’s recognition by Israel. Without being asked, she said in front of the whole world that Kosovo is deep in corruption.”

Serbian Language Media

14 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (KoSSev)

Out of 64 tested samples in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, 14 were positive for Covid-19, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced today, KoSSev portal reports.

Currently there are 701 active cases in the Serbian areas in Kosovo.

The breakdown of the new cases is as follows: four in Leposavic, three in Zvecan, two each in Mitrovica North, Zubin Potok and Gracanica and one in Kamenica.

A total of 135 persons passed away in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo since the outbreak of the pandemic due to Covid-19 related complications.

Gracanica: Five more people positive for Covid-19 (KiM radio)

In the area of the municipality of Gracanica, in the past 24 hours, the coronavirus was confirmed in five more people, the Crisis Staff announced.

As it is stated, one patient was discharged from the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Laplje Selo, with 16 people still hospitalized.

Tanin: Opening the door to the future requires transformation (KiM radio, Kontakt plus radio, RTK2)

A strong desire for change was expressed in the recent elections in Kosovo, UNMIK chief Zahir Tanin said at today’s session of the UN Security Council, quoted Serbian media yesterday.

UNMIK Head Zahir Tanin made the remarks during his Security Council address after Kosovo successfully concluded early legislative elections that saw a high turnout with the Vetëvendosje political party receiving more than half of all votes cast.

”The expectations expressed were for a shift in the responsiveness of a government to the real hopes and needs of its voters, for greater equality of opportunity, accountability, and the rule of law. Accordingly, expectations across Kosovo will remain as high as were the results,” SRSG Tanin told the Council.

Tanin said Kosovo’s new government, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, faced ”great opportunities, alongside great challenges”.

“Opening the door to the future requires a transformation and changing the priorities which are reflected in both words and in deeds. Reducing tension also requires that ruling and opposition parties alike prove their capacity to cohere on wider interests.”

With reference to the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue, following his meeting yesterday with Prime Minister Kurti and today’s conversation with President Vucic, Tanin noted that all political actors were aware of the central importance of their relations for progress along the European path. They underscored that only a meaningful and sincere dialogue, and forward-looking policies, would allow these relations to evolve and mutual interests to be met.

”Gains to public trust in this process are as fragile as they are essential,” Tanin said and added: 

”With a strongly-mandated government now settled in Pristina, we should expect to see difficult subjects treated with seriousness and diligence.”

Tanin reiterated UNMIK’s unequivocal support of the process and its commitment at ground level to promote a conducive environment for progress along this pathway.

On the COVID-19 pandemic, SRSG Tanin briefed the Council on the alarming infection rates in Kosovo, and said Kosovo remained under relentless pressure from the spread of the COVID-19 virus. He urged Member States to accelerate vaccine-related support to Kosovo, amid global struggles to ensure vaccination supplies.

Turning to work that was being undertaken by the Mission, SRSG Tanin briefed the Council on COVID-19 relief provided to vulnerable populations, including the distribution of essential items; implementation of programmes to empower women and youth in politics and society; support to language rights initiatives; and the provision of free legal aid mechanisms.

Tanin noted the special importance and sensitivity attached to religious freedom and tolerance, assuring the Council that UNMIK continued to closely monitor all incidents affecting places of worship whilst it continued work with communities and authorities to ensure protection of such places.

”This is part of a shared responsibility for promoting inter-ethnic trust and reducing the risk of tensions,” SRSG Tanin said.

”The voters in Kosovo raised their voices for breaking with the past, and I hope that the members of this Council will add their clear support for the realisation of a more peaceful, more prosperous future in Kosovo and the region,” Tanin concluded.

Serbian FM tells UN SC Albanian political extremism rising in Kosovo (N1)

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Selakovic told an online UN Security Council meeting that Albanian political extremism is on the rise in Kosovo, a government press release said.

Selakovic is quoted as saying that the political situation in Kosovo is unstable, adding that local Serbs are worried by Pristina’s attitude towards the Visoki Decani Monastery, the construction of a Kosovo Security Forces base in Kosovska Mitrovica, and efforts to undermine the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

“Serbia is determined and will not give up finding a compromise solution, which will be sustainable for future generations”, the press release quoted him as saying. Selakovic said that he expects the EULEX mission to continue supporting the Specialized Chambers and the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office, and engage more on rule of law, with focus on witness protection and determining the fate of missing persons.

“He especially emphasized the importance of KFOR and pointed out that any unilateral attempt to assign someone else, or for someone to take over a part of KFOR’s mandate and obligations, is a violation of UNSCR 1244 and is a potential source of instability and tension”, the press release said.

Read the full statement at: https://bit.ly/3g9S8e3

Brnabic and Yamashita on situation in Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke yesterday with a newly appointed Representative of the Secretary General and head of the UN Office in Belgrade, Mari Yamashita and discussed the political and security situation in Kosovo, Tanjug  news agency reports.

Brnabic noted that the scope of work and engagement of the UN Office in Belgrade is of great importance to Serbia, given it is the main channel of communication with the UN Mission in Kosovo, and an important element in protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbian state.

She expressed expectation that UNMIK would remain engaged in unhindered scope and with unchanged mandate, Brnabic’s press office said.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Brnabic voiced particular concern over accusations against Abbot of Visoki Decani Monastery Sava Janjic, terming them as unfounded.

She also expressed confidence that the international community would react to protect a man who represents a true link of cooperation and reconciliation of the two peoples, as well as Visoki Decani Monastery, that has great importance to Serbia and represents one of the most endangered cultural heritage monument in Europe.

Presenting priorities of the UN Office in Belgrade for the forthcoming period, Yamashita said the cooperation with the Serbian Government and relevant institutions was exceptionally well. Speaking about the current epidemiological situation, Yamashita assessed that Serbia is on a good path, thanks to the very well carried out immunization process of the citizens.

At the end, Brnabic thanked the UN Office in Belgrade for cooperation and wished Yamashita a welcome and success during her tenure.  

SOC: Unfounded and malicious accusations against Sava Janjic (Radio KIM)

Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) stated that “media reports on utterly unfounded and malicious accusations of a minor (no)governmental organization in Pristina against Archimandrite Sava Janjic, Abbot of Visoki Decani Monastery, were received in the Serbian Patriarchy with indignation, same as in entire public”, Radio KIM reports.

As it was further said it is clear “this was about attack against Decani holy shrine and an attempt to endanger the very survival of Visoki Decani brotherhood, thus also monkhood in other Serbian Orthodox shrines and remaining Serbian population in Kosovo and Metohija”.

“We emphasize it once again and repeat it proudly that Visoki Decani Monastery along with its Abbot and brotherhood during its entire history, and in particular during the war in the nineties of the XX century, represented a shelter for many those suffering regardless of their religious or ethnic background. As such they serve to the pride of not only their home Raska-Prizren Eparchy but to the entire Serbian Church”, the SOCE said in a statement. 

Serb CSOs: Kosovo government and international representatives to condemn CDHRF’s hate speech and protect Fr. Sava (KoSSev)

Civil society organizations from the Kosovo Serb community condemned the attacks coming from the Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms in Kosovo (CDHRF) on the Abbot of the Visoki Decani Monastery, Sava Janjic, KoSSev portal reports.

“We strongly condemn the groundless attacks coming from the Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms in Kosovo (CDHRF) on the Abbot of the Visoki Decani Monastery, Fr. Sava Janjic. Aid and protection received by Albanian refugees from Visoki Decani Monastery in 1999 are a unique example of humanity in the madness of war”, the Serbian civil society organizations from Kosovo said in a statement.

“By attacking Fr. Sava Janjic with such harsh and baseless accusations, the Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms in Kosovo is undermining efforts to painstakingly build better inter-ethnic relations between the Albanian and Serb communities in Kosovo”.

They emphasized that this same organization “has a record of spreading false news and inter-ethnic hatred in the past, primarily directed towards the Kosovo Serb community”.

The Institute for Territorial Economic Development – InTER, NGO Aktiv, ACDC, CSD, New Social Initiative (NSI), Center for Development of Communities (CRZ), NGO Link, Radio Gorazdevac, Crno-beli svet (CBS), Center for Social Initiatives, Radio Kontakt plus, RTV KiM, New Press Production, Center for the Rights of Minority Communities (CRMC), Gracanica Online, and Forum for Development and Multiethnic Collaboration (FDMC) demanded that the institutions of the Government of Kosovo and international representatives in Kosovo clearly condemn the positions of the Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms in Kosovo, and to provide all the necessary protection and support to Fr. Sava Janjic and the Visoki Decani Monastery.

See at: https://bit.ly/3wRZNnh

Kandic: It is shameful what CDHRF is writing about Fr. Sava (KoSSev)

Natasa Kandic from the Belgrade Humanitarian Law Center took it on Twitter to react to accusations that Pristina-based Council for Defence of Human Right and Freedoms voiced against Abbot of Visoki Decani Monastery Sava Janjic, KoSSev portal reports.

“In June 1999, in Decani, I heard that Sava Janjic was on the streets when the army and police from Djakovica were passing through the town, in order to prevent violence against Albanian civilians. What the CDHRF is writing is shameful“, Kandic wrote. 

Family of Zoran Djokic from Pec seeks fair trial (KoSSev)

Family of Zoran Djokic from Pec, convicted two months ago in a first-instance verdict to 12 years in prison for war crimes, sent an appeal to the institutions and organizations advocating for and protecting the human rights, to help Zoran so he is not convicted for the act he has not committed, KoSSev portal reports.

Zoran’s wife, Oliver Djokic said her husband didn’t have a fair trial and was sentenced innocent to a long-term prison sentence.

“We lived with our two children in Kosovo until 2014. Zoran worked for many non-governmental organizations, Kosovo Government, Mitrovica North Administrative Office that belonged to the Ministry of the Local Self-Governance, for 15 years following the conflict in Kosovo. Would he stay in Kosovo if he has done anything bad to his Albanian neighbors”, she said.

The family and friends of Zoran Djokic sent an appeal to the Kosovo Ministry of Justice, Ombudsman, Human Rights Watch, US and UK embassies in Pristina, Humanitarian Law Fund and Kosovo Open Society Foundation.

Olivera Djokic also pointed out several facts confirming that the right to fair trial to her husband has been violated, including media reports that declared him guilty even prior to the court proceeding, his defense lawyer was not allowed to participate at investigative acts and witnesses’ hearings, the indictment was extended five days prior to the closing hearing schedule and the extension of the indictment had not been elaborated upon.    

Although nine Albanian witnesses testified in favor of Zoran Djokic during the investigation proceedings, their statements were not taken into consideration while deciding on the guilt of the accused.

The only person who eye-witnessed the specific war crime, Š.K., of Albanian ethnicity, stated at the first hearing that the crime was committed by a Serb, N.M. who fled Pec after the war.

Although witness Š.K. pointed out to the prosecution and the court that the accused Zoran Djokic was not the perpetrator, his testimony was not taken as key evidence, but the probative force was given to the testimonies of those witnesses who based their testimonies on indirect information about the crime committed in Kristal settlement in Pec in 1999.

“All these violations led to a terrible conviction, which convicted the innocent person Zoran Djokic for war crimes”, the appeal concluded.

Greek stance on Kosovo remains unchanged (Tanjug)

The stance of Greece not to recognize Kosovo is well known and remains unchanged, Greek Ambassador to Serbia Georgios Diacofotakis told Tanjug news agency.

Ambassador thus commented on the expectations voiced by the foreign policy analysts David Philips and Daniel Serwer that Greece would change stance and most probably recognize Kosovo.

“In principle, we do not comment on the analysts’ opinion, the stance of Greece not to recognize Kosovo is well known and remains unchanged”, reads the written response sent to Tanjug news agency.  

RTV KiM: Physical attack on a young man in Gracanica (KoSSev, Blic, RTS)

RTV KiM reported that nineteen-year-old L.D. from Gracanica was attacked last night, as his father said, by three Albanians in front of the Civic Energy Center (CEC). The young man was slightly injured, the police told his father, but he disagrees with their assessment. L.D. was in the company of a girl and sister who were not injured at the time of the attack, quoted portal KoSSev.

Last night, shortly before 10 pm, when he was returning home, LD was attacked in front of the Civic Energy Center (CEC) in Gracanica, the father of the injured young man, Dejan Dimitrijevic, confirmed for RTV Kim.

He claims that he was attacked by three Albanians. He also said that his son is currently receiving hospital treatment at the Hospital in Gracanica.

“The police characterized it as light bodily injuries, but I would not agree with that, I think it is much more serious than that,” Dimitrijevic said briefly.

According to the words of Igor Aritonovic, a friend of Dimitrijevic, a young man and a girl were blocked by three unknown Albanians in a car and then attacked LD, telling him that “this is their property”.

“They insulted and cursed him, they told him that he passed by their property. Then they started beating him until he fell to the ground. The girls were screaming, calling for help, and although they were not beaten, they are in a very bad condition, scared and under stress,” says Aritonovic

According to Aritonovic, the police were informed about everything, and the attackers gave a statement at the station. “Unfortunately, the police did not characterize it as an attack, but as a fight. The attackers just gave a statement and were released home last night,” says Aritonovic.

However, RTV Kim has so far failed to confirm this information from the authorities in the police in Gracanica.

Protest in Gracanica due to the beating of a Serb; An ethnically motivated attack or a misunderstanding?

A protest of parents, friends and locals was held in Gracanica today due to the attack and beating of nineteen-year-old L.D. About thirty people gathered in front of the police station. While parents and representatives of the local government in Gracanica claim that this is an ethnically motivated attack, the Police claim that it is a misunderstanding.

The father of the injured young man, Dejan Dimitrijevic, said that after last night’s attack on his son, he felt defeated and humiliated.

”I don’t know how my nineteen-year-old son deserved to be the subject of a brutal attack in front of the house, unprovoked. What attacked him, I don’t know what to call him, are some beasts. They intercepted him on the way home for no reason, without any provocations, the three adults and mature men attacked a bare-handed kid, who was walking with his girlfriend and sister.”

Dimitrijevic said that his son was still in the hospital and that he was not able to say what happened, adding that he suffered eyebrow lacerations and other injuries.

”It was not enough that they hit him several times, these people they came with bars and metal objects, beat him on the ground and kicked him” he said and explained that the classification of his injuries by police as light is making him feel “humiliated by what’s going on here.”

”Last night the gentlemen who were the attackers, presented themselves as victims, they came here with lawyers and an ambulance, I don’t know the point of what happened last night. The police tell me that my son was involved in the fight and is not a victim, nor a subject of a brutal attack but is equated with the gentlemen who came and wanted to beat him up. The police officers did nothing and I will certainly file a complaint about the work of police in this process. I didn’t get anything else other than attempts to convince me not to raise this to a higher and political level and not to deal with such things. Police officers who came to take a statement from my son at the hospital were the ones who were convincing me,” Dimitrijevic said.

He said the attack on his son happened 50 meters from their family home.

About the last night’s incident, a meeting was held today between the Mayor of Gracanica, Srdjan Popovic, and the Commander of the Police Station in Gracanica, Bratislav Trajkovic.

Mayor Popovic, stated that this was an ethnically motivated attack and that something like that must not happen in Gracanica again.

Commander Trajkovic, said that it was a fight and that the motive was a misunderstanding.

Ivan Nikolic told RTV KiM that this is not the first, and probably not the last time, that attacks on youth in Serbian communities happen. 

“We face situations like this every day. A few days ago, exactly the same thing happened in Kosovska Mitrovica. What worries me are the reactions of the competent institutions and the fact that they tried to convince Dejan (father) not to raise this to a higher level. In addition, the impotence of the competent institutions has been demonstrated once again, in this case I mean the representatives of the police, but also of ourselves who cannot do nothing but gather and send messages. After half an hour, they came with the lawyers, prepared the script in advance and behaved as if L.D. was the initiator of all that,” said Nikolic.

According to RTV Kim, who spoke with the residents who were protesting today, they were motivated by a feeling of ”insecurity and helplessness” and because ”this not the first or last time that something like this was happening”. Residents also expressed their concern because of the way the police handled this case i.e. because the perpetrators were released and compared it with a fight in Laplje Selo when the perpetrators were detained.

Rakic: Should our children live in everyday fear that someone would attack them in the street? (Kosovo Online)

Reacting to last night’s attack on a 19-year-old Serbian young man in Gracanica, Minister for Communities and Return Goran Rakic said that what has been happening in Serbian communities in recent days was unacceptable and that this type of violence had to be stopped immediately, reported portal Kosovo Online.

”Four days ago, two Serbian young men were attacked with bottles in the outdoor area of a cafe in North Mitrovica, last night we had hecklings, after that there was an attack on a Serbian young man in Gracanica who was in the company of a girlfriend and his sister. What should we expect next and should our children live in circumstances in which they do not know what will happen to them if they go out on the street? I think that this ought to be harshly condemned by the entire society, and it’s a red alarm for the competent institutions to react and prevent violence. By endangering security, great damage is inflicted on our aspirations for everyone to live in a free and peaceful environment,” Minister Rakic stated.

Minister called on the competent institutions to urgently stop the attacks, and pointed out that it should not be allowed that ”next time, damage cannot be repaired and that we have bigger consequences, because then it will be too late for any kind of reaction”.

”I also call on the representatives of international organizations and institutions to invest their efforts and contribute to calming the frequent incidents, because it is essential that we all live peacefully in Kosovo,” Minister Rakic said.

Petkovic: Latest incident consequence of irresponsible politics and anti-Serbian rhetoric (Kontakt plus radio)

The latest attack against a young man in Gracanica was a consequence of irresponsible politics and anti-Serbian rhetoric that political leaders in Pristina pursued for months, Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said, Kontakt plus radio reports.

He also asked representatives of the Kosovo authorities to abandon rhetoric “by which they inspire such attacks”.

“It is evident when there is no dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and Albanian politicians are in a race of hate speech and bigotry against the Serbs, that the violence escalates on the street and impacts directly everyday life of people in Kosovo and Metohija”, Petkovic said in a statement.

He condemned this, but also any other type of violence.

“After the attacks against Serbian Orthodox Church sites, Abbot of Visoki Decani Monastery, Serbian health care facilities, now Serbian children in Kosovo and Metohija were exposed to violence”, Petkovic said.

He requested the international community “to understand the most seriously those more frequented incidents and undertake all measures within their authority in order to prevent them from reoccurring”.  

Sava Janjic: The church in Samodreza turned into a public toilet, so much for religious tolerance in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, FB)

The abbot of the monastery Visoki Decani, Sava Janjic posted pictures on Facebook of the church of St. Jovan in Samodreza, which testify that this shrine was turned into a garbage dump and a public toilet for the local Albanian school, reported portal Kosovo Online. 

He also reminded that since 2004, when the church was severely damaged until today, the Kosovo authorities have not done anything to renovate this building and placed it under protection. 

“Another Serbian Orthodox church in Kosovo from 1932, built on the historic site of a Serbian medieval church, was severely damaged by Kosovo-Albanian extremists during the 2004 riots. Since then, Kosovo authorities have never allowed it to be rebuilt. Local Kosovo Albanians have turned Samodreza Church into a landfill and public toilet for a local Albanian school. So much for religious and ethnic tolerance in Kosovo. International mediation in the renovation and protection of the church has not helped so far,” said Abbot Sava Janjic.

Sava Janjic also reminded of the destroyed Orthodox monastery Dolac from the 14th century, which has been devastated to this day, as well as dozens of other SOC shrines in Kosovo.

“Another Serbian Orthodox monastery destroyed by Kosovo Albanian extremists after the 1999 war. Dozens of our churches remain devastated while local politicians claim that Kosovo is a paradise of religious tolerance. Dolac Monastery, 14th century,” wrote the abbot of the Visoki Decani monastery, Sava Janjic.

Message from Brussels: Travel to EU countries with any vaccine (B92)

Digital green certificates, which should become operational in the EU by the beginning of the summer, will be issued for all vaccines against Covid 19.

Third-country nationals will also be able to have them, it was announced today from Brussels.

Mr. Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice, in a debate before the European Parliament’s Committee on Freedoms and Justice stated that the main goal of digital green certificates is to facilitate free movement in the EU and help citizens regain their right to free travel in a health-friendly way.

“The European Commission has proposed that digital green certificates be extended to third-country nationals residing or legally traveling in the EU. Over time, European green certificates should become interoperable with international standards. Mid-term, a system harmonization should take place, so that certificates issued by third countries are automatically accepted in the EU,” Reynders said.

He stated that all EU citizens will receive the same treatment once travel restrictions were lifted and that certificates would be issued for all vaccines, regardless of whether they were approved by the EMA.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3dd9lkR

Opinion

Inter-ethnic cooperation in Kosovo: Can Kurti make use of this critical juncture? (newsocialinitiative.org)

For as much as the international community’s engineering of democratic institutions in Kosovo can be argued to have been ‘pathbreaking’, it has nonetheless laid the foundations to some of the most critical obstacles to the country’s de-facto exercise of authority over its citizens. Perhaps the most important aspect of this undertaking, has been the safeguarding […]

The Ahtisaari Plan as a general framework, and to a large extent OSCE-led endeavors on the ground to set up the practical legal framework that ensure these rights, must be given their rightful credit. This task of course, could hardly have been more ambitious and complex. However, for all the inherent caveats this system is engulfed in, this undertaking set a unique precedent for how multi-ethnic societies must function. Safeguarding the representation of ethnic minorities across governance levels and ensuring their needs are addressed throughout the formulation of policies are of course standards that speak to Kosovo’s distant yet deeply committed vigor for the institutionalization of European Standards.

This ‘power-sharing’ constellation, which had been carefully devised through the Ahtisaari Plan, and then nurtured through the commitment of the international community in Kosovo, was ultimately handed over to Kosovo citizens to maintain. Not long after a domestically administered elections were concluded, the cracks in this fragile engineered system started to show, and as such, both Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs must assume greater responsibility.

For a number of years now, the Serb minorities constitutionally guaranteed representation across institutions has been a major point of contention in public debates. Instead of exploring the possibilities of how this power-sharing constellation can be advanced in order to genuinely address the needs of Kosovo Serbs in the North and other parts of Kosovo, it has become a political tool. This tool of course, has been aggressively utilized by Kosovo Serbs, Kosovo Albanians and Belgrade as well.

See more at:https://bit.ly/3dhMiW9

Mushkolaj: Let us not become allies of disinformation (Kallxo)

Columnist and political commentator Imer Mushkolaj argues in an opinion piece that there are many online media in Kosovo which due to the lack of professional capacities, lack some links in the necessary chain of producing and publishing news and that as a result the public consumes news that are not complete and with ethical problems. Mushkolaj writes that in most cases “the reporter is also the editor and this means that the news drafted by the reporter does not go through the necessary filters before getting published. As a result, the public often receives media content lacking in quality and with serious professional problems. The facts presented are often lacking, they are not properly researched and lack ethics”. 

“The debate on fake news must be first and foremost shaped within the community of reporters and media, and then continue in academic institutions and non-governmental organisations. This also requires awareness raising campaigns for the people in the service of differentiating between professional media content and the content that is not such. A society inclined to believing unverified news falls easy for such news. We all need to engage in the debate for fake news so that we don’t contribute to disinformation.”

Bounty of Serbian vaccine diplomacy shames the EU (Financial Times)

Belgrade’s purchase of Chinese, Russian and western jabs also recalls non-aligned movement’s golden days

In a socialist-era concrete hall by the Sava river, Serbia is changing its international reputation one jab after another, and showing that vaccine diplomacy is not just the preserve of global powers. Last year, president Aleksandar Vucic, who came to power on a pro-EU platform but has cosy relations with Beijing and Moscow, ordered millions of vaccines from both east and west. As a result Serbia is among the first European countries to administer jabs made in China, alongside Russia’s Sputnik V, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna. By mid April, almost 43 doses had been given to every 100 people.

See more at: https://on.ft.com/3tltLOf

How Serbia Can Learn from Germany’s Post-War Remorse (Balkan Insight)

The German ambassador to Belgrade’s comments about war crimes by Yugoslav forces in Kosovo sparked angry reactions in Serbia, but the country’s politicians should be seeking lessons from Germany about how to atone for past atrocities.

There has been no spring in Serbia since the NATO intervention in Yugoslavia in 1999 without a heated discussion on the legality and political consequences of the Western military alliance’s bombing campaign, which came in response to the excessive violence that Yugoslav forces used against ethnic Albanians in Serbia’s then province of Kosovo.

See more at: https://bit.ly/2Q4WA2W

International

When libraries burn (balcanicaucaso.org)

The National Library of Belgrade, the oldest cultural institution in Serbia, was destroyed on April 6, 1941 by the Axis forces on Hitler’s explicit orders. Thus Serbia lost an inestimable cultural heritage in a single day

If, once the Covid 19 pandemic is over, you ever go to Belgrade, stop for a few minutes in Kosancicev Venac and, through an iron gate covered with climbing plants and weeds, observe the remains of the foundations of a building, or rather a hole. The only traces of life that can be seen there are those left by the occasional cat.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3aaTNft

Alleged Slovenian proposal for a peaceful dissolution of BiH creates controversy (EWB)

A rumour that the authorities of Slovenia, which will hold the Council Presidency from July, are proposing a peaceful dissolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina before the country’s EU accession has grabbed the attention of the media in the region. European Commission denied awareness of any such document, while Prime Minister of Slovenia Janez Janša denied that he had submitted the proposal to President of the European Council Charles Michel, which has been alleged.

Željko Komšić, the Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, confirmed on Monday to local media that Slovenian President Borut Pahor had asked in an informal conversation during an official visit on 5 March whether “a peaceful separation in BiH is possible”, referring to the secession of the Republika Srpska, Euractiv reports.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3a6lnuo

Humanitarian/Development

Rolling Film Festival puts fresh spotlight on anti-roma prejudice in Kosovo (BIRN)

The sixth edition of the film festival dedicated to highlighting the experiences and struggles of the Roma community in Kosovo is opening soon.

Between 16 and 20 April, around 30 movies from around Europe will be screened in the annual Rolling Film Festival.

This year’s edition of the film festival will be aired online due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking on Tuesday, Avni Mustafa, director of the youth education NGO Roma Versitas Kosovo and also director of the Rolling Festival said Roma culture remains neglected within Kosovo and that the festival is trying to play a part in countering that neglect.

“There is not much promotion of Roma culture and heritage in Kosovo culture,” Mustafa said.

Sami Mustafa, artistic Director of the festival, said that through the films, they hope to reduce societal discrimination against the Roma community, which is widespread. He said art had done something to fight anti-gypsy prejudice in Kosovo.

“There have been a few events in Kosovo that have addressed the violation of the human rights of the Roma community and the anti-gypsyism that the Roma face,” Mustafa added.

“Unfortunately, the Roma are the most marginalised and discriminated group in Kosovo, and face many obstacles such as hate speech, lack of employment and lack of access to social services,” he said.

Speaking about the programme of this year’s edition, Mustafa said that despite the difficulties in organising the festival due to the health crisis, there will be a rich edition with five films shown each day.

“We are at the end of launching the platforms through which the films will be screened and the audience will have the opportunity to choose which films to watch,” he added.

The opening film will be by Loreta Berbatovci from Kosovo, while other movies from Hungary, Germany and other countries will be screened during the four days of the festival.

Along with the movies, 15 animations from youngsters in Kosovo of all communities will be part of the programme.

Sputnik V production to begin soon in Serbia, Iran, Italy (TASS)

According to earlier reports, the RDIF signed a number of contracts for the production of the Sputnik V vaccine at 20 facilities in more than ten countries, including India, Brazil, South Korea, China, Serbia, Italy, Belarus, and Kazakhstan

See more at: https://tass.com/economy/1277401

Bosnian journalists vaccinated in Serbian capital (N1)

The vaccination of journalists from Bosnia and Herzegovina against the coronavirus began on Tuesday at the Belgrade Fair, the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) said, N1 reports.

Some 100 doses were secured free of charge, and the vaccination was organized by UNS and the Association of Journalists of Republika Srpska, Bosnian Serb-dominated entity.

“Several dozen journalists were vaccinated Tuesday, and I certainly hope that we will continue this in time to come. I invite colleagues from the Republika Srpska and the (Bosniak-Croat ) Federation entity to apply when we publish a new call for vaccination because we the journalists are endangered, constantly being on the ground and in contact with people,” the UNS President Vladimir Radomirovic said.

Hundreds of millions of women living lives ‘governed by others’, UN report shows (news.un.org)

Almost half of women in some 57 countries do not have the power to make choices over their healthcare, contraception, or sex lives, a new United Nations report launched on Wednesday, has revealed.

According to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)’s State of World Population report, the lack of bodily autonomy may have worsened during the coronavirus pandemic, placing record numbers of women and girls at risk of gender-based violence and harmful practices such as early marriage.

“The fact that nearly half of women still cannot make their own decisions about whether or not to have sex, use contraception or seek healthcare, should outrage us all”, Natalia Kanem, UNFPA Executive Director, said in a news release announcing the findings.

See more at: https://bit.ly/32d8hqX