Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: Four new cases, no deaths (media)
• Gervalla at anti-DAESH coalition meeting reaffirms Kosovo’s comittment to fight terrorism (media)
• Konjufca in Brussels for EP summit (media)
• CEC chief calls for conclusion of election reform (EO/Koha)
• Koci: The Serb woman should be allowed to live in Gjakova (G. Express)
• AI calls on Kelkos to withdraw lawsuit against environmental activists (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• Serbs commemorate Saint Vitus Day (Radio KIM)
• Thousands of people at Gazimestan, police searched and confiscated Serbian symbols (RTS)
• Patriarch Porfirije: “Kosovo and Metohija home of Orthodox Serbs; Albanians as brothers” (N1, KoSSev)
• Vucic: Don’t leave conflicts to future generations (N1)
• Several NGOs from Djakovica demand eviction of Serb returnee (KoSSev)
• Reactions to demand to evict Serb returnee from Djakovica (media, social media)
• “Dragica Gasic is no threat to anyone” (Radio KIM)
• Jeremic to Minister Selakovic: Support to Albania as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, ‘incautious step’ (Danas, Vreme)
• Vucic: We are not interested in wars but in country’s defence (BETA, N1)
• Czech FM: Western Balkans a priority of Czech EU Presidency (N1)
• Financing leaves Western Balkans lagging EU neighbors (N1, Beta)

Opinion:

• Claims an association would advance the rights of the Serb community in Kosovo are misleading (Kosovo 2.0)

International:

• Kosovo War Crimes Court’s First Trial Will Set a Precedent (Balkan Insight)
• Kosovo: Slapp suits seeking to silence environmental activist must end (Amnesty International)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: Four new cases, no deaths (media)

Kosovo recorded four new cases of COVID-19 and zero deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours. Five persons recovered from the virus during this time. 

The total number of active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo is 170.

Gervalla at anti-DAESH coalition meeting reaffirms Kosovo’s comittment to fight terrorism (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donika Gervalla is taking part in the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to defeat DAESH in Rome, co-chaired by Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio and the U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. 

In her remarks, Gervalla said Kosovo is a reliable partner in the fight against terrorism and although it has a Muslim majority, “inter-religious harmony and tolerance are part of our identity for centuries.” “To see a church and a mosque sharing the same compound in Kosovo is nothing out of the ordinary,” she said. 

Gervalla said Kosovo institutions had immediately responded to cases when some of its nationals joined ISIS and also expressed the commitment of relevant institutions to ensure reintegration of all returnees. 

“We are very proud to be contributing to this coalition from this year through a symbolic number of our troops. We thank Kuwait for the welcome and the U.S. troops for the support offered to our brave soldiers, both on the professional and personal level,” Gervalla noted further. 

Konjufca in Brussels for EP summit (media)

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca is in Brussels for the second European Parliament summit with Western Balkans.

The summit will focus on the role of the parliaments in the EU enlargement process during the post COVID period and deepening of parliamentary cooperation. 

According to a press release issued by the Assembly, during the visit to Brussels Konjufca will also meet members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), permanent delegations for the Western Balkans, and European Parliament Deputy President Fabio Massimo Castaldo.

CEC chief calls for conclusion of election reform (EO/Koha)

Head of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Kreshnik Radoniqi, presented to the Assembly’s Legislation Committee the challenges that this institution faced in 2020 and called for the conclusion of the election reform process. 

“The unchanged Law on general and local elections remains a challenge. We consider the Assembly needs to conclude the election reform,” he said.

Radoniqi noted that the COVID-19 pandemic presented a challenge for organising early parliamentary election as well as two mayoral elections and that the CEC worked mostly only with essential staff during this period.

Koci: The Serb woman should be allowed to live in Gjakova (G. Express)

Kosovo lawyer, Arianit Koci, has spoken against calls from civil society organisations in Gjakova not to allow a Serb woman to return to live in the town. 

In a Facebook post, Koci argued that while no one can dispute the “monstrous” crimes committed by Serb forces in the town and that “wounds of Serb crimes in Gjakova are so deep that they cannot be healed even when the remains of all killed and mutilated are brought back”, “the Serb woman should not be expelled. She is no threat to anyone.” 

Koci said that from what he learnt, the woman in question did work for the Serbian Ministry of Interior in Gjakova but her job was a cleaner. “At the same time, if she has committed any crime, the situation would be good for us. Relevant authorities now, since she is in Kosovo, can arrest her and criminally prosecute her. If however, there are no evidence that the returned Serb woman has committed crimes – we cannot prevent her return.” 

AI calls on Kelkos to withdraw lawsuit against environmental activists (Koha)

Amnesty International has called on the Kosovo-based hydropower company, Kelkos, to withdraw a defamation lawsuit against Shpresa Loshaj and Adriatik Gacaferri, environmental activists who have spoken openly against the company’s projects.

In a press release, Amnesty International said that the lawsuit against Loshaj and Gacaferri was ‘baseless’ and its intention is to intimidate and silence them. “Shpresa Loshaj and Adriatik Gacaferi have campaigned tirelessly to raise concerns about the environmental impact of hydropower plants in the protected Deçan region. These activists are bravely standing up for their communities and their environment, and Kelkos Energy’s lawsuits appear to be a cynical attempt to silence them,” said Jelena Sesar, Western Balkans Researcher at Amnesty International.

Kelkos Energy meanwhile told Amnesty International that the lawsuits were a measure of last resort to defend themselves against “slanderous statements” in court. The company denied that their lawsuits were Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), and said they agreed that SLAPPs represent an undue restriction on the right to freedom of expression.

Amnesty International urged the Kosovar authorities, including the Ministry of Environment, the Environmental Regulatory Office and relevant municipalities, to take the necessary steps to ensure that all communities affected by large-scale infrastructure projects related to the exploitation of natural resources have access to information. Amnesty International called for documents relating to public consultations to be made available, and for the public to be provided with the opportunity to effectively participate in the decision-making process. The organization also urged the authorities to adopt laws and policies to comply with their obligation to respect and protect human rights in the context of corporate activities, through adequate regulation, oversight, investigation, adjudication and penalties.  

Serbian Language Media

Serbs commemorate Saint Vitus Day (Radio KIM)

Serbian people and the Serbian Orthodox Church commemorate today one of the most significant holidays in their history, Saint Vitus Day, Radio KIM reports. Serbian Patriarch Porfirije served the holy liturgy at Gracanica Monastery, endowment of the King Milutin, starting at 8.30 in the morning.

Saint Vitus Day is also a Serbian state holiday and is being marked as a remembrance day of the Kosovo battle that took place on June 28, 1389, respectively on June 15 as per old calendar, at Gazimestan field and represents a memory to all those who lost their lives in all the wars.

According to historians this is a rather important date in the collective memory of the Serbian people and one of the foundations of its collective identity.

According to that concept, it symbolizes freedom, resistance to invaders, nurturing patriotism, national identity, knighthood and heroism, but also a turning point following the period of rise under Nemanjic Dynasty rulers.

A monument erected at Gazimestan in 1953, work of the sculptor Aleksandar Derok was dedicated to the killed Serbs soldiers who fought Ottoman Empire, while the Monument to Kosovo Heroes unveiled on June 28, 1904 within the celebration of one-hundred anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising, in the presence of the King Petar I Karadjordjevic, represents the symbol of Krusevac town, and was crafted by Serbian sculptor Djordje Jovanovic.

Following the Kosovo battle, the body of Tzar Lazar (1329-1389) was buried in the Monastery Ravanica, and during the Serb migration lead by Patriarch Arsenije Carnojevic, at the end of XVII century moved to Vrdnik Monastery on Fruska Gora Mountain (today’s Vojvodina).

His remains were brought back to Ravanica Monastery in 1989, marking the 600th anniversary of the Kosovo battle.

Patriarch will also serve a memorial service to the killed Serbian fighters in the Kosovo battle at 12.30 at Gazimestan.

Thousands of people at Gazimestan, police searched and confiscated Serbian symbols (RTS)

Several thousand people gathered at Gazimestan Monument today to commemorate Saint Vitus Day. Kosovo police stopped the vehicles and confiscated Serbian symbols, RTS reports. It also said a young man from Podgorica was arrested.

The number of people gathered was the highest in the last five years. Due to large crowds and restrictive measures many didn’t manage to reach Gazimestan.

Kosovo police at several access roads stopped several dozens of vehicles with registration plates from central Serbia. They were controlling both people and vehicles, and confiscated parts of the clothing that had Serbian symbols on them.

The police arrested a young man from Podgorica, because he pointed out they had no need to search a nun. KoSSev portal said she was asked to open a purse, and the young man made an objection. Special police units took him to the vehicle and drove off in the direction of Pristina, RTS reported.  

Patriarch Porfirije: “Kosovo and Metohija home of Orthodox Serbs; Albanians as brothers” (N1, KoSSev)

The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Porfirije said in Gracanica that ”Kosovo and Metohija is the home of Orthodox Serbs” and that diversity is a gift because of which the Serbian Orthodox Church views Albanians as brothers, reported N1, citing portal KoSSev.  

“Our names and surnames are Gracanica, Decani and Pec Patriarchate, Holy Trinity, Devic, Bogorodica Ljeviska, Kosovo and Metohija, our name and our surname is the Orthodox Church,” said Serbian Patriarch Porfirije this morning in the Gracanica monastery. 

In Gracanica, the patriarch indicated the significance of another anniversary – seven centuries of the Gracanica monastery, describing it as “a beauty”.

“The home of Orthodox Serbs is Kosovo and Metohija. The land where we were born for Christ and of course gained a lot that others either can’t or don’t want to understand,” he said.

Gracanica and the shrines are a jewel of the world’s cultural heritage, says the patriarch, but he also adds that “the world (heritage) does not exist if it did not originate somewhere and if it did not have its own name and surname”.

“They are pearls and jewels of world cultural heritage, but before that it is the heritage of our fathers, our heritage, the heritage of Orthodox Serbs, and that should not bother anyone. Everyone has their heritage, everyone has their culture, and everyone prays to God in some way. We Orthodox Serbs pray to the Christian Orthodox Christ crucified and risen.”

He said that all people and nations received different gifts from God, and the Serbs received this one. This does not mean, he said, that the gifts of diversity should be a cause for conflict, misunderstanding and separation.

“In fact, differences are gifts, and the very word gift means that it is something we received in order to multiply it and then redeem ourselves through it and give ourselves to others,” he pointed out.

The patriarch says that therefore the Serbian Orthodox Church views Albanians as its brothers.

“I am sure that we can not only understand each other, but also live together, grow and build. Let us not be taught peace and community by those who sow discord among people and have only some unknown, distant, earthly interests,” said the patriarch.

Hundreds of believers are attending the liturgy in the Gracanica monastery today.

At 1 pm in Gazimestan, the memorial service will be held for the fallen Serbian heroes in the Battle of Kosovo, reported KoSSev.

Vucic: Don’t leave conflicts to future generations (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Monday conflicts should not be left behind for future generations, N1 reports.

“We can’t leave conflicts to the younger generations, we have to finish them, do everything to put an end to death and secure life for the future”, he said after laying a wreath at a monument in the city of Krusevac to medieval Serbian warriors who fought the Ottoman Turks at the battle of Kosovo in 1389.

The anniversary of the battle is marked on Saint Vitus Day (Vidovdan) on June 28, which Vucic said is “the symbol of the greatness of our people”.

Krusevac marked the 650th anniversary of its formation on June 28. The Serbian Government is meeting in a special session in Krusevac today, with Vucic’s attendance.

He also said that Serbia is a free and freedom-loving country whose fate is decided only by its citizens. “Freedom is sacred as is peace, they are the most valuable together”, Vucic said. He added that “the Serb people in Kosovo will see who will defend and who did not safeguard Kosovo”.

Touching upon his earlier statement that there are no Serbs living in Kosovo Polje, Vucic said he was mistaken, apologized to the Serbs living there and said he hopes to visit them soon.

Asked about the statement of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti that agreement with Belgrade should imply Kosovo membership in the UN, Vucic said Pristina always comes forward with “extreme demands”.  

“As far as Mr. Kurti is concerned, it is Saint Vitus Day today, and I think it is not the time and a place to mention him”, Vucic said.

He also said that Pristina officials talk about the seat in the UN and recognition “as if it were normal” since they refer to the US President and most EU member states that see this as “normal”. 

Several NGOs from Djakovica demand eviction of Serb returnee (KoSSev)

Eleven NGOs in the municipality of Djakovica announced they would be filing a petition to the Kosovo Government on Monday, demanding that a returnee to Djakovica – a woman with Serbian citizenship – move out as soon as possible, KoSSev portal reports, citing Pristina-based Koha.

The NGOs also said that this municipality still has open graves awaiting the return of the remains of people who died during the war, Pristina-based Koha reports. Djakovica is not ready to welcome the return of Serbs until the last remains of their loved ones are delivered, the NGOs wrote in a statement.

The NGOs include Association of Martyrs Families – branch in Djakovica, Association of War Military Invalids – branch in Djakovica, War Veterans Organization – branch in Djakovica, Association of War Crimes 1998-1999 in Djakovica, MK – Medica Kosova, Kosovo Women’s Initiative, Local Action Youth Council, Association of former Political Prisoners, Association for Education and Family Care, SHA – Women’s Association, Safe House – Djakovica and Gjok Sokoli-Korenica, media reported.

They announced that they would be submitting a petition to top Kosovo officials, including Prime Minister Kurti and the Kosovo Assembly Chairman Glauk Konjufca.

Meanwhile, a police report revealed that two people were arrested on Saturday after photographs of the 1999 war were posted on the wall in front of the complainant’s apartment. The case was classified as causing discord and intolerance and the suspects were detained, the police confirmed. 

Reactions to demand to evict Serb returnee from Djakovica (media, social media)

Following the media reports that a number of NGOs from Djakovica would submit a petition to the Kosovo top officials against the return of a Serb woman to this town, Serbian political officials and Serbian Orthodox Church reacted, media reported.

Kosovo Minister for Communities and Returns, Goran Rakic said the petition was an indicator that “Djakovica was a forbidden town for the Serbs”. He assessed the petition “as a direct blow to the returns process”.

“Dragica Gasic returned in a desire to continue living in the town where she lived before displacement in 1999 and that right by no means can be denied to her (…)”, Rakic said. He also urged representatives of the international organizations and institutions to help in resolving “such problems as it was impermissible to ban fundamental rights to anyone, including the right to live in a place where a person used to live”.

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic in his reaction said that “a systematic persecution to which 59-year old Dragica Gasic was exposed over the previous days was impermissible”. He added Gasic returned to the town after 22 years of displacement, and that the Office would get involved to help her and ensure her safety.

“Over the previous days, Albanians from Djakovica have demonstrated utter intolerance and chauvinism, they posted photographs of the murdered Albanians on her house walls and knocked on her door in order to force her to flee”, Petkovic said.

“Rest assured, we shall not permit new egzodus”, he told Tanjug news agency.   

In a series of posts on Twitter, Visoki Decani Monastery also reacted to the demands to expel a Serb returnee from Djakovica.

“An innocent 60ys old woman is being terrorized every day, attacked by stones, requested to leave her home just because of her ethnicity & religion This is the story of Dragica Gašić from Djakovica who dared return to her home 22ys after #Kosovo war. SHAME!”, Monastery wrote.

In a second post the Monastery also said that “Ethnic & religious hatred against innocent pple not only can’t bring back the victims of war but perpetuate the atmosphere of ethnic violence & religious intolerance in #Kosovo. No political or religious Kosovo Albanian leaders are ready to say that & protect all citizens equally”.

“Beside Mrs. Gašić whose eviction is requested for no legal reason by 11 #Kosovo Albanian NGOs in Djakovica there are ONLY three #Serb nuns living in their convent under police protection. Their convent was burned by K/Albanian rioters in 2004 but rebuilt again.What an intolerance”, the Monastery wrote in a third post. 

Vucic: Petition against Dragica, an example of what Serbs can expect in Kosovo 

President Aleksandar Vucic stated today that the petition of 11 NGOs in the municipality of Djakovica to evict the Serb woman, who returned to Djakovica, as soon as possible, talks about the atmosphere in Kosovo and what Serbs in Kosovo can expect, reported portal Kosovo Online, citing Tanjug.  

Asked about the petition, and whether the return of Serbs to Kosovo was possible at all, Vucic said that Albanians consider Djakovica a “forbidden city” because of the crimes committed, without at the same time mentioning the Sutakovic family or apologizing for three children and their parents who were killed, while Serbs are no longer allowed to go to the cemetery.

“That is not big news, and the problem is that the local civil society, as well as politics, all together with their foreign mentors, breathe with the same lungs, in the same way, and that is the essence of our problem,” said Vucic.

“Will anyone else return to Djakovica? They will not, but this speaks of the atmosphere and what Serbs can expect in Kosovo and Metohija,” the Serbian president pointed out, adding that it was Belgrade’s job to continue fighting

“And that is exactly why today, on Vidovdan, our determination and determination to fight, to keep common sense, to fight rationally, must prevail in the future, to have many children in Krusevac, Kosovska Mitrovica, Silovo, Ranilug, everywhere on Kosovo and Metohija,” said Vucic, Kosovo Online reported.

“Dragica Gasic is no threat to anyone” (Radio KIM)

Dragica Gasic who recently returned to Djakovica said she has never harmed anyone in this town, Radio KIM reports. Gasic met with the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic in Gracanica today, who said that despite “the life under the lock” she will continue being there, adding she was “a symbol of sufferings of the Serbian people”.

Gasic said she returned to the town 20 days ago. She added she came back because she had nothing to be afraid of, harmed nobody, and that is why she doesn’t understand why there was such  fierce opposition by the Albanians to her return.

“They threw the rocks at the windows, broke the shades, posted the photos, along with different threats. They knock on the door at night, I can’t sleep, I am taking tranquilizers. Although there is a police presence, the moment police leave, they start banging. I expected the attacks, because I am the first one (to return), but I hoped I would not face them. I have not harmed anyone, I have not caused any evil in Djakovica, Gasic told Radio KIM in tears.

“Dragica is no threat to anyone”, Petkovic said. He added that she returned to her own apartment, to her own place of origin, where she gave birth to two children, lived and worked.

Although attacks against the flat where she lives occur constantly, Dragica said she will not leave.  

Jeremic to Minister Selakovic: Support to Albania as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, ‘incautious step’ (Danas, Vreme)

The President of the People’s Party, Vuk Jeremic assessed that Serbia’s support for the recent election of Albania as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the next two years is an “extremely careless step”, reported Belgrade based daily Danas.

In an open letter to Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic, Jeremic said that Serbia “sent a message that it did not care much about taking a firm stand on respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity in future discussions within that forum,” the People’s Party announced, Danas cited. 

“If that is important to us, then we would certainly not vote for Tirana to participate in them, for which it is unmistakably known how it will perform,” he stated.

In a letter published in the weekly ‘Vreme’, Jeremic assessed the consequences of such a decision by Serbia: “Our support in the UN, the most agile advocate of international emancipation of Pristina, will be taken into account by countries around the world in the process of reviewing and possibly revising its policies on Kosovo and Metohija, including voting in other forums, such as UNESCO” 

Jeremic reminded that on June 11, the permanent representative of Serbia to the UN, according to Selakovic’s instructions, supported Albania to become one of the ten non-permanent members of the UN Security Council in 2022 and 2023.

“I am sure that as the head of diplomacy you understand that 2022 and 2023 will be years of great challenges for Serbia in the international arena regarding Kosovo and Metohija and that you have been informed about the preparations for a new Albanian ‘offensive’ on UNESCO, where a defeat was narrowly avoided in the previous vote of 2015 – the admission of Kosovo,” said Jeremic.

“You should be aware that in the next two years, Tirana will enjoy numerous privileges arising from membership in the most powerful body of the UN, on whose agenda are all important world issues. The right to vote in the Security Council in matters of importance to third countries will significantly strengthen Albania’s diplomatic capacity in acting towards them, for example, when lobbying for the recognition of ‘Kosovo’ or Pristina’s membership in UNESCO,” Jeremic believes.

Vucic: We are not interested in wars but in country’s defence (BETA, N1)

Joint tactical exercise with combat shooting ‘Lightning strike 2021’ with 2,300 Serbian Army members was held on Sunday at the ‘Pester’ training ground near Sjenica in presence of the senior state and military leadership of Serbia, the diplomatic corps and the KFOR Commander, as well as Bosnian Serb leader, BETA news agency reports. 

The exercise was carried out by the units of the Air Force and Air Defence, 72nd Special Operations Brigade and 63rd Parachute Brigade, who used tanks, combat vehicles, artillery systems and weapons, airplanes, helicopters, remotely piloted aircraft, air defense systems, and weapons.

Addressing the event, President Aleksandar Vucic congratulated those who took part in the “fantastically conducted exercise”.

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

Czech FM: Western Balkans a priority of Czech EU Presidency (N1)

Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek said the Western Balkans will be one of the priorities of the Czech Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2021, with a focus on Serbia and Montenegro getting dates for the membership, N1 reports.

“I would see it as a success if we could announce dates when Serbia and Montenegro might join the EU”, Kulhanek told the Czech CTK news agency.

Progress in the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, he said, is the first of three foreign-policy goals of Czech Republic during the EU Presidency from July until the end of 2021.

The minister stressed that it is not possible to reach the major turnabout within that period but that progress is possible and that his country will make it when it comes to the Euro-integration of the Western Balkans.

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

Financing leaves Western Balkans lagging EU neighbors (N1, Beta)

The Italian Institute for International Relations (IAI) said that the Western Balkans are inevitably lagging the rest of southeastern Europe because the European Union is providing its member states in the region with more financial aid.

According to Belgrade-based Beta news agency, the IAI report said that Greece will receive 5,700 Euro per capita from EU funds over the next seven years to recover from the coronavirus pandemic while the countries of the Western Balkans will get 500 Euro per capita. Slovenia, Croatia and Bulgaria have a combined population which is smaller than the 18 million in the Western Balkans, but those three EU member states will get more than six times the financial aid that the region is likely to get, it said.

The EU IPA III financial instrument will provide some nine billion Euro in grants to the Western Balkans by 2027 while Romania will have almost 70 billion in grants at its disposal and Bulgaria just under 30 billion, the report said.

The report warned that the “social and economic wall” between the Western Balkans and the neighboring EU member states will continue to grow in the foreseeable future, adding that low income and insufficient economic progress are the reason why conditions favorable to authoritarian political leaders and the plundering of national wealth are still in place in the region.

See at: https://bit.ly/3x3TlJl

Opinion

Claims an association would advance the rights of the Serb community in Kosovo are misleading (Kosovo 2.0)

Resumption of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue in Brussels last week predictably made plenty of headlines around the region. This was, after all, the first time that Kosovo’s new Prime Minister Albin Kurti had met Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić around the dialogue table and all eyes were on how he would approach Kosovo’s biggest foreign policy headache, writes Raba Gjoshi.

Kurti came away from the meeting — described as “not easy” by the EU — saying that he had made four proposals to the Serbian delegation, ranging from a regional free trade agreement to mutual recognition. The “fresh approach” from the Kosovo side ensured that much of the follow-up discussion and analysis in recent days has been focused here.

But from the Serbian side there was also a reminder of a familiar theme that deserves some attention of its own: The Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3vZS1Gb

International

Kosovo War Crimes Court’s First Trial Will Set a Precedent (Balkan Insight)

After a six-year wait, the first trial at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague will open on September 15, with former Kosovo Liberation Army officer Salih Mustafa facing charges of illegally detaining, torturing and killing prisoners.

It was announced last week that the first trial at the Kosovo Special Chambers in The Hague will open on September 15 – almost a year after the prosecution made its first arrest in the Kosovo capital, Pristina, and more than six years after the court was established.

Former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) officer Salih Mustafa will appear before the court which was set up to try former KLA members for alleged crimes committed during the Kosovo war from 1998 to 2000.

The Specialist Chambers are part of Kosovo’s judicial system but are located in the Netherlands and staffed by internationals.

They were set up in August 2015 by the Kosovo parliament, acting under pressure from the country’s Western allies, who believe Kosovo’s own justice system is not robust enough to try KLA cases and protect witnesses from intimidation, after previous cases at the UN’s Yugoslav war crimes court in The Hague were marred by witness-tampering.

Mustafa’s indictment was confirmed on June 12, six months after he became the first KLA suspect to be arrested and transferred to detention in The Hague to await trial.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3dlCme1

Kosovo: Slapp suits seeking to silence environmental activist must end (Amnesty International)

Kelkos Energy, a large Austrian-based hydropower management company with operations in Kosovo, has used defamation lawsuits and threats of such lawsuits to target activists who publicly speak about the environmental impact of hydropower plants operating in the country’s natural protected areas and the lack of necessary scrutiny by Kosovo’s authorities in the process of issuing operating licenses for such plants. Kelkos Energy should withdraw the defamation lawsuits filed against environmental activists in Kosovo as they appear to be designed to obstruct their work, intimidate, and silence them, Amnesty International said today.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/35X2MhT