Albanian Language Media:

• Stoltenberg: We are concerned with rhetoric in Bosnia and Kosovo-Serbia tensions (Klan)
• PDK’s Citaku accuses Minister Mehaj of legal violations (media)
• Kosovo’s deputy minister denies allegations of Mehaj-Rama disagreements (Telegrafi)
• Former KSF commander to represent Kosovo at RACVIAC organisation (Telegrafi)
• Quint must not put pressure on Kosovo institutions, historians say (media)
• KSC prosecution opposes interim release of former KLA leaders (media)
• Court fines Klina mayor on conflict of interest charges (Zeri)
• Kurti on anti-COVID measures: They respond to current situation (media)
• COVID-19: Eight new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Dacic calls referendum on constitutional amendments for January 16 (media)
• New assemblies constituted in Serbian municipalities in Kosovo (RTS) 
• Visoki Decani: Without respect for the rights of all communities, there is no sustainable democratic development (Kosovo Online)
• PM Brnabic to von Cramon: ”I understand that Kosovo is part of Serbia for you as well, and I appreciate that” (Kosovo Online, Blic) 
• The north of Kosovo among the reasons for the change in the KSF; the position of the USA awaited (Kosovo Online)
• Serbian Defence Minister Stefanovic about the change of the KSF head (Kosovo Online) 
• Todosijevic, Serbian List member who was sentenced to prison, still MP (RFE)
• Serbian Ministry of Culture returned Kosovo and Metohija to the Law on Cultural Heritage (KiM radio, Beta)
• Stano: Both Belgrade and Pristina to allow official visits (RTS, Tanjug)
• Borrell: Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is the only way to stabilization (RTS, Tanjug)

Opinion:

• Serbia’s War on Free Media is Moving to ‘Street Level’ (Balkan Insight)

International:

• Havana Syndrome: The Perfect Disease for a Post-Truth World (Balkan Insight) 

Humanitarian/Development:

• World AIDS day finds Kosovo with eight new HIV positive cases (RFE/Koha)
• Quarantine in Kosovo Sparks Revival in Greenhouse Gardening (Prishtina Insight)
• Workshop on Participatory Strategic Planning organised in Kosovo* (CoE)
• Massive protests in Serbia against Rio Tinto’s lithium mining ambition, pollution (balkangreenenergynews.com)

Albanian Language Media  

Stoltenberg: We are concerned with rhetoric in Bosnia and Kosovo-Serbia tensions (Klan)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a meeting with foreign ministers of Finland, Sweden, and the EU High Representative Josep Borrell that the recent developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina and tensions between Kosovo and Serbia are concerning.

“Western Balkans is at the heart of Europe and is a very important region for NATO and the European Union. We are witnessing concerning developments. We are very concerned with inflammatory rhetoric in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina continue. Reforms are stalling and foreign actors have increased their malignant influence,” he is quoted. 

Stoltenberg stressed that a great deal of work has been achieved since 1990. “We have ended brutal wars and countries in the region joined the European Union and also NATO. NATO and the European Union are working closely together for the good of the region, both in Kosovo and also in Bosnia and Herzegovina where NATO and the EU work hand in hand.” 

PDK’s Citaku accuses Minister Mehaj of legal violations (media)

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Vlora Citaku accused Kosovo’s Minister of Defence Armend Mehaj for, as she said, asking the now former Kosovo Security Force (KSF) commander Rrahman Rama to authorise use of KSF assets by the Kosovo Police. 

“What has happened in recent weeks with the KSF should not be normalised. Minister Mehaj has seriously violated the law, including the agreement with the United States, by asking the Commander of the KSF to give the assets of the KSF for use in police operations. Such actions seriously undermine the credibility of the KSF as a partner and ally. The reaction from the US was harsh and immediate,” Citaku wrote on Facebook.

She also criticised the way in which the KSF command handover took place. She said Rama deserved to have had a ceremony organised in his honour just as the new commander, Bashkim Jashari, “deserved to take on the new post with all ceremonies that such an appointment calls for.”

Gazeta Express reported quoting sources that Rama’s resignation is linked to disagreements with Minister Mehaj which peaked in September after he allegedly asked Rama to order the KSF troops to paint over four armoured vehicles in blue under the justification that they were planned to be used as reinforcement to the Kosovo Police during an operation in the north.

Kosovo’s deputy minister denies allegations of Mehaj-Rama disagreements (Telegrafi)

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Defence Shemsi Syla commented on the resignation of Rrahman Rama from the post of Kosovo Security Force commander saying such changes are normal in an army and that is part of efforts to increase capacities.

In an interview with RTV Dukagjini, Syla denied allegations that the reason behind Rama’s resignation is his disagreements with Minister of Defence Armend Mehaj over the use of KSF assets by the police. “At the time of events that are being mentioned, neither the minister nor the KSF commander were in Kosovo. I was in charge at the time and no such thing happened.”  

Former KSF commander to represent Kosovo at RACVIAC organisation (Telegrafi)

Rrahman Rama, who announced yesterday his resignation as commander of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), is expected to represent Kosovo at the Croatia-based Centre for Security Cooperation RACVIAC which works on promoting peace and stability in the South East European region. 

Rama’s formal appointment to the post awaits approval from Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora. 

In 2014, Kosovo was invited to participate on a permanent basis, at all levels and on equal terms in all activities and meetings of RACVIAC & the MAG. Telegrafi notes that Kosovo’s participation in the organisation is made through the use of an asterisk which states that the “designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.”

Quint must not put pressure on Kosovo institutions, historians say (media)

The League of Kosovo Historians, the branch in Decan, reacted on Tuesday to a joint statement by the Quint embassies which called on Kosovo institutions to implement the decision on the Decani Monastery land. The historians said in a public statement that this is unacceptable pressure on Kosovo’s institutions. “The Quint ambassadors should not put pressure on Kosovo institutions to implement a decision that is anti-constitutional and which will produce a dangerous precedent,” the historians argued. “We ask what is the reason behind the urgency of the internationals to implement a decision that goes against human rights and freedoms”.

KSC prosecution opposes interim release of former KLA leaders (media)

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers prosecution has opposed the request for interim release of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders awaiting trial on war crimes charges saying that the guarantees provided by the Kosovo Police regarding enforcing conditions attached to the accused possible release “do nothing to change the previous findings that conditional release is not effectively enforceable” considering, as it said, risks posed by Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi. 

“The well-established climate of interference with the judicial process in Kosovo, comprehensively documented previously, is not a historical relic. Allegations recently surfaced that the Kosovo Intelligence Agency had two agents pose as witnesses to give fabricated testimony linking former president Hashim Thaçi’s political opponents to terrorist organisations. The conduct of the leaders of the KLA War Veterans association, including statements by Faton Klinaku this summer and the crimes alleged to have been committed in Gucati and Haradinaj, also clearly demonstrates that this climate persists. Witnesses do not need to be physically harmed to be intimidated; even the prospect of releasing the Accused in Kosovo creates fear and uncertainty amongst witnesses in this case,” the Specialist Prosecutor Jack Smith argued. 

Court fines Klina mayor on conflict of interest charges (Zeri)

Mayor of Klina, Zenun Elezaj, who was reconfirmed for the second term to the position, has been found guilty by a court on conflict of interest charges. 

Elezaj was accused of having used his position as mayor in 2018 to secure employment for his daughter with the Klina family healthcare centre. He has been ordered to pay a fine of 4,000 euros. 

Kurti on anti-COVID measures: They respond to current situation (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that the new measures against the spread of COVID-19 respond to the current situation with the pandemic “and also to the need to be more careful with the virus which continues to be present among us in several variants”.

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

Eight new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. 14 persons recovered during this time.

There are 314 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Dacic calls referendum on constitutional amendments for January 16 (media)

Serbian Parliament Speaker Ivica Dacic on Tuesday called a referendum on constitutional amendments for January 16, reported Serbian media.

In the referendum, citizens will decide on whether to approve an Act on Amendments to the Serbian Constitution.

Earlier, MPs passed three related bills at a special parliamentary session.

The referendum question will be: “Do you support the approval of the Act on Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia?”

During the parliamentary debate, Justice Minister Maja Popovic said constitutional amendments related to the judiciary were a precondition for further reforms of the legal system that would, among other things, ensure more positive assessments of Serbia’s progress in the European integration process.

Referendum on judges and prosecutors, not on Kosovo and Metohija

Dacic emphasized last night, after announcing the republic referendum on changing the Constitution, that the change of the Constitution refers only to the section concerning the election of judges and prosecutors and that it has nothing to do with the preamble on Kosovo and Metohija, reported daily Blic.

– We believe that it is in Serbia’s interest to confirm the decision of the parliament and that it will be a big step forward on the European path, but also for the reforms that have been taking place all these years – said Dacic.

The change of attitude and the referendum concern, as he pointed out, only the rule of law and justice.

Dacic called on all citizens to go to the referendum.

– Our position is completely clear that Kosovo and Metohija is an integral part of Serbia. The referendum has nothing to do with various issues that have been politicized lately and used for brutal violations of the law and the Constitution, and they concern the blockade of roads, attacks on political dissidents – he added.

He emphasized that there are no winners in the referendum because these are not elections, but that he wants Serbia to win the referendum and that everything is done in Serbia’s interest, reported Blic.

New assemblies constituted in Serbian municipalities in Kosovo (RTS) 

The newly elected presidents and councilors in nine Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo were sworn in yesterday, beginning their four-year terms.

After the ceremonial sessions, the newly elected mayors were inaugurated.

In four municipalities in northern Kosovo, the mayors are Milan Radojevic for North Mitrovica, Zoran Todic for Leposavic, Srdjan Vulovic for Zubin Potok and Dragisa Milovic for Zvecan.

In the south, in Novo Brdo, the president is Sasa Milosevic, in Gracanica Ljiljana Subaric, in Ranilug Katarina Ristic Ilic, Strpce Dalibor Jevtic and Partes Dragan Petkovic.

In the municipality of Klokot, the tenth municipality with a Serb majority, a new convocation of the assembly is awaited. In the second round of local elections, the candidate of the Serbian List, Vladan Bogdanovic, was elected president.

The president of the municipality of North Mitrovica, Milan Radojevic, stated that “a huge number of citizens’ votes oblige to a fight for the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities”.

“It is a huge responsibility and a huge obligation, our job is not easy at all, we are expected to protect the rights of citizens and as mayor I will fight to preserve those rights. As I will defend Cyrillic (Serbian alphabet), I will defend the rights of other communities to their language and alphabet, as we will defend the freedom of movement for Serbs, we will defend the freedom of movement for other citizens and communities in the city,” Radojevic said in his address to the new convocation of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly.

The newly elected president of the municipality in Gracanica, Ljiljana Subarić, told the councilors that the citizens had chosen them, and that this gave them great political significance and legitimacy.

“Guided by political and moral responsibility, I want to make it clear that I will be a representative of all citizens, that I will serve the people fairly and equally to all, regardless of religious, national, political and any other affiliation. I want to thank all the citizens who trusted us, and gave their vote to the Serbian List,” said Subaric.

Visoki Decani: Without respect for the rights of all communities, there is no sustainable democratic development (Kosovo Online)

The commitment of Quint Ambassadors and the EU and OSCE missions in Kosovo to the rule of law is a very important message, said the Visoki Decani monastery, reported Kosovo Online

As they stated from the monastery in reaction to the announcement of the German ambassador in Pristina, Jorn Rohde, on Twitter, without equal justice for all religious communities, there is no sustainable democratic development.

“A firm commitment to the rule of law and equal justice for all communities by the Ambassadors of Quint, as well as the EU and OSCE missions in Kosovo, is an important message that without respect for the religious and property rights of all communities, there can be no sustainable democratic development,” Visoki Decani said.

Brnabic to von Cramon: ”I understand that Kosovo is part of Serbia for you as well, and I appreciate that” (Kosovo Online, Blic) 

The Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, last night again replied to Viola von Cramon, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Kosovo, that according to how focused she is on central Serbia, she understood that Kosovo is part of Serbia for her as well, reported Kosovo Online.

Brnabic wrote on Twitter that she appreciates that and that von Cramon’s support is unexpected, but welcome.

“I understand that Kosovo is Serbia for you as well (given how focused you are on central Serbia while you are the EP rapporteur for Kosovo *), and I really appreciate that. Your support is unexpected, but welcome,” Brnabic wrote.

At the same time, she told von Cramon that instead of the events in Nedeljice, she should pay more attention to the fact that only this year the number of attacks on Serbs in Kosovo increased by 30 percent, and that the monastery of Visoki Decani is one of the most endangered places of cultural and historical heritage in Europe.

“We can work on it together,” Brnabic said, reported Kosovo Online.

The north of Kosovo among the reasons for the change in the KSF; the position of the USA awaited (Kosovo Online)

Portal Kosovo Online writes that estimations were that reforms within the Kosovo Security Force will not significantly change the functioning of that institution, but there were fears that the decision to change the leadership may worsen relations with Kosovo’s strategic partner – the United States.

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, who is also the Supreme Commander, appointed Major General Bashkim Jashari as the new Commander of the Kosovo Security Force.

The portal reported, referring to media in Pristina,  that the change of leadership in the KSF came after the current commander Rahman Rama rejected the request of the Minister of Defense Armend Mehaj, to provide armored vehicles for police action in the north of Kosovo, donated by the US, and which could not be used according to the agreed, alienate or sold without their approval.

In a statement for Kosovo Online, security expert Drizan Shala assessed that the disruption of relations between the KSF commander and the Minister of Defense could be one of the reasons for Rama’s dismissal.

At the same time, he pointed out that the change of leadership in the KSF was a logical sequence of events, bearing in mind the change of government in Kosovo.

“After the elections in Kosovo, changes began in all major positions, so it was the KSF leadership turn. The latest events in northern Kosovo may be the reason for the changes, but it is still not official. It is worrying how the strategic partners, the United States of America, will react to the change of the KSF leadership,” said Shala.

He welcomes the appointment of Bashkim Jashari as the new commander of the KSF, pointing out that he comes from the family of Adem Jashari, who is considered the “liberator of Kosovo”.

“If you look at it from the angle of history, the new commander is from a family that gave 56 victims for the freedom of Kosovo,” said Shala. 

On the other hand, political analyst Blerim Burjani stated that the KSF commander should be elected in accordance with his professional abilities, and not based on political affiliation.

“Rapid change is not proof that something can work better, but it depends on a person and the experience he has at his disposal. The KSF commander does not have to be a person from politics, but he should be a person with a lot of professional experience,” concluded Burjani.

Serbian Defence Minister Stefanovic about the change of the KSF head (Kosovo Online) 

Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic told portal Kosovo Online that he ”does not expect any personnel solutions that will make a substantial change in the policy pursued by the Pristina institutions,” commenting on the Pristina decision to appoint Bashkim Jashari as KSF commander. 

As Stefanovic told Kosovo Online, “everything they have shown in previous years, and especially in the last twelve months, indicates that they do not think well, especially of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, but as well of the stability and security of the entire region”. 

”First, based on United Nations Resolution 1244, there is no possibility of forming any so-called “Kosovo army”, nor are they legitimate or in any legally established way, bodies or institutions. This is what is important for our international partners to know. So, regardless of whether they participate in the work of Pristina’s institutions in any way or support them, they must know that this must be done legally, in accordance with international law and UN Resolution 1244,” said Stefanovic. 

The Minister of Defense of Serbia points out that that is why the personnel decisions of the Pristina bodies, especially related to the so-called “army” and their institutions, are not considered important, because he does not expect to pursue any different policy than the one pursued so far.

“Unfortunately, it is a warning that Serbs are endangered and that senseless, dangerous and adventurous actions with weapons in the past few months threaten to destabilize the entire Balkans. Unfortunately, that says a lot about the frivolity and, of course, the bad intentions of the Pristina institutions towards the north of Kosovo, towards Serbs, but it also seems to me towards the lives of all people who live on the territory of our southern province,” said Stefanovic, reported Kosovo Online.

Todosijevic, Serbian List member who was sentenced to prison, still MP (RFE)

Radio Free Europe reported yesterday that a person sentenced to prison is still part of the Assembly of Kosovo. 

”This is Ivan Todosijevic, a member of the Serbian List, whose serving of the sentence was postponed twice now by the Basic Court in Pristina, ” reported RFE. 

The Constitution of Kosovo stipulates that a mandate of an MP who has been sentenced to imprisonment for a year shall be revoked. However, the Assembly of Kosovo did not answer why this measure was not applied in the case of Todosijevic.

RFE pointed out that in the meantime, ”in the last local elections on October 17, Todosijevic was also a candidate for councillor in the Zvecan MA. After winning the mandate, the Central Election Commission of Kosovo (CEC) annulled it because Todosijevic was sentenced to two years in prison on August 24 for a statement in which he denied the massacre of Albanians in Racak in 1999, which was committed by Serbian forces”.

RFE pointed out that serving of his sentence was postponed twice by the Basic Court in Pristina, in just over a month, but this time due to ”health reasons”.

”The serving of the sentence has been postponed for another three months,” the Basic Court told RFE, noting that they could not provide other details, ”because any additional information could harm the case”.

Nebojsa Vlajic, the lawyer of the convicted Ivan Todosijevic, said the same to RFE, although he stated earlier that his client did not receive a summons to serve his prison sentence at all.

Todosijevic was originally scheduled to serve his sentence on October 6, but the Basic Court granted his request to extend the deadline ”because he is abroad”.

However, according to the Constitution of Kosovo, his mandate should be revoked the moment he is sentenced to two years in prison by a final verdict.

RFE addressed the Assembly of Kosovo on November 25 with a question – whether Ivan Todosijevic is still an MP – bearing in mind that the official website of the AoK said that he was.

RFE did not receive the reply before the publication of this article, and in the meantime, the name of Ivan Todosijevic was removed from the official website of the Assembly.

The CEC did not specify the status of Todosijevic in the Assembly either.

When asked why his candidacy for councillor in the Municipal Assembly of Zvecan was confirmed when he was convicted, CEC spokesman Valmir Elezi explained that on August 23, the Office for Registration of Political Parties received an answer from the Kosovo Judicial Council that Ivan Todosijevic had not been convicted of a crime.

Elezi further stated that on November 19, the Verification Office again requested the opinion of the Kosovo Judicial Council on assigning a mandate to Ivan Todosijevic, after they received information that he had been convicted.

”We received the answer that the person in question was convicted by a final court decision on June 24, 2021 for a criminal offense, which is contrary to the Law on General Elections. In addition, the judgment of the Constitutional Court KO95 / 20 stipulated that the mandate that was won which is not in the accordance with the law is to be annulled,” Elezi specified and added that on November 23, the CEC made a decision to annul Todosijevic’s mandates for councillor.

His place was replaced by the next candidate on the list with the largest number of votes – in this case it is Marko Stevanovic.

RFE stressed that the Serbian List was not available for comment.

Serbian Ministry of Culture returned Kosovo and Metohija to the Law on Cultural Heritage (KiM radio, Beta)

KiM radio reported, citing Beta agency, that the Ministry of Culture submitted to the Assembly of Serbia a new proposal of the Law on Cultural Heritage, which refers to intangible cultural heritage and tangible cultural goods located on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, including the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. 

About ten days ago, the Ministry of Culture submitted to the Serbian Parliament a draft law on cultural heritage without mentioning the cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, which caused negative reactions and public concern.

The Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) was the first to point out that the bill does not mention Kosovo and Metohija at all, while the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina was mentioned six times.

The party pointed out that the proposal of the Law on Cultural Heritage is “just another in a series of proofs of the real nature of a regime that boasts of patriotism and declares everyone else to be traitors”.

The People’s Party (NS) requested that the disputed bill be withdrawn from the parliamentary procedure.

“The consequences of the adoption of that act will be disastrous for the future protection of the endangered cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija,” the NS warned.

After the reactions the Ministry of Culture decided to include Kosovo and Metohija in the draft Law on Cultural Heritage.

The most important Serbian cultural and historical heritage is located in Kosovo, and under the UNESCO protection are medieval monasteries: Visoki Decani, Pec Patriarchate, Gracanica and Bogorodica Ljeviska, recalled KiM radio.

Stano: Both Belgrade and Pristina to allow official visits (RTS, Tanjug)

The visit of Kosovo Minister to Medvedja, Presevo and Bujanovac was announced in accordance with the agreement and there is no reason not to allow it, says EU spokesman Peter Stano, who last week called on Pristina to allow the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, to enter.

EU spokesman Peter Stano called on Serbia to reconsider the decision banning the visit of the Minister to the municipalities of Medvedja, Presevo and Bujanovac.

“The visit of the Kosovo minister was announced in accordance with the agreement and there is no reason not to allow it. We call on Serbia to consider its decision and allow visits that have been reported in an appropriate manner,” Peter Stano said in a statement for Tanjug.

Brussels states that this message from the EU is identical to the message sent to Pristina last week, which asks that the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, be allowed to enter Kosovo. 

“We expect both sides to fully implement all agreements reached, including the agreement on official visits,” Stano added.

He reminds that official visits are an important part of the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, because they provide an opportunity for more “interaction and communication” between the parties.

The EU spokesman concludes that the visits must be realized in such a way as to support the normalization process and contribute to the work within the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, reported RTS.

Borrell: Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is the only way to stabilization (RTS, Tanjug)

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, stated that there is still a need for Belgrade and Pristina to renew the dialogue, because there is no other way to stabilize the situation, reported Radio Television of Serbia..

“The situation has recently calmed down, but there is still a need to return to dialogue and resume dialogue because there is no other way to stabilize the situation,” Borrell said after arriving to the second day of a NATO meeting in Riga, Latvia to discuss the situation in the Western Balkans.

He stressed that the Western Balkans remain a strategic region for the European Union.

“The three countries of the Western Balkans are also NATO member states and we have strong ties with them. For security reasons, the stability of the Western Balkans is also important,” Borrell said.

He stressed, however, that the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is of particular concern.

“I must express my concern over the situation in BiH, where tensions and attempts to annul 26 years of peace and stability are present. We remain committed to Bosnia and Herzegovina as a single state and call on everyone to preserve unity,” Borrell said.

Opinion

Serbia’s War on Free Media is Moving to ‘Street Level’ (Balkan Insight)

By Milenko Vasovic

The regime is delegating the task of intimidating the rare defenders of democracy in Serbia to right-wing hooligans and gangs like the People’s Patrols.

Serbia is not a desirable place for journalists who do not support the regime. Persecutions, bans, punishments and obstructions have been a constant accompaniment to this profession since the time of Yugoslav communist rule under Josip Broz Tito.

In later times, under Slobodan Milosevic, journalists were killed; Slavko Curuvija and Dada Vujasinovic – kidnapped; Dusan Reljic, or arrested; Desa Trevisan. Entire newsrooms were fined; Dnevni Telegraf, Evropljanin, Danas, Blic … and behind all that, of course, was the regime.

However, it was never quite like it is today, under the rule of Aleksandar Vucić and the Serbian Progressive Party, SNS.

Vucic and his followers have created a hostile environment for newsrooms and individuals who criticize the government. Journalists who are called traitors and foreign mercenaries by members of the regime say everything is “allowed”. It reminds us of the atmosphere of lynching, which we’d naively believed had gone down in history.

In Milosevic’s time, it was known that the danger was coming from government structures. Now, persecution, intimidation and even physical attacks have been lowered to “street” level.

The “job” has been in effect delegated to right-wingers, hooligans, ardent supporters of the president, even to foreigners employed in Serbia.

See more at:https://bit.ly/31oI37S

International 

Havana Syndrome: The Perfect Disease for a Post-Truth World (Balkan Insight) 

This strange and mysterious collection of symptoms without a traceable cause may be the perfect metaphor for our current age of disinformation, doubt, decay of political norms and despair among liberal democracies about what the future may bring.

Spies and diplomats deploy to foreign countries with different tasks and different expectations. Spies go off the grid. They recruit assets. They expect the unexpected. Diplomats stay on the grid. They expect routine, process and risk-aversion. War zones are the exceptions that prove the rule.

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

Humanitarian/Development

World AIDS day finds Kosovo with eight new HIV positive cases (RFE/Koha)

World AIDS day, marked every 1 December, this year finds Kosovo with eight new infections, Radio Free Europe in Albanian reports. 

Last year two new cases of people with HIV were confirmed in Kosovo while in 2019 there were six new cases. 

Head of the HIV ward within the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (QKUK) Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Murat Mehmeti, said that all persons with HIV positive status are currently receiving treatment at home and have not required hospitalisation. “We currently have 41 cases under treatment,” he said.

Mehmeti said that there have been cases when some of the persons living with HIV have also been infected with COVID-19. He said the majority of these people experienced mild coronavirus symptoms but that one person died as a result of complications. 

Kosovo is among places with a low level of AIDS, having recorded a total of 132 cases since 1986 when the first case was confirmed.

Quarantine in Kosovo Sparks Revival in Greenhouse Gardening (Prishtina Insight)

Stuck at home and wary of shops, many Kosovars rediscovered their parents’ skills at growing food in the backyard during the pandemic.

Cultivation of fruits and vegetables in gardens has throughout history been not only an agrarian activity but a way of life. With the modernization of food production and the creation of contemporary families, however, garden plots slowly disappeared as a social phenomenon.

But, during the pandemic, many colorful vegetable plots in the small corners and gardens were re-established. With the lockdown, such corners were created or recreated in backyards, which also helped many people overcome feelings of isolation.

To “break” up quarantine and to provide healthy food as a preventive measure against infection, and to avoid contact with things from outside, the Shala family from Trebovic, Peja, set up a nylon vegetable shelter in their yard.

Ever since they planted the first seeds in March 2020, the family has drawn the main source of food on their table from the “quarantine creature”, their greenhouse.

From the beginning of spring until the end of autumn, they cultivate most of the vegetables that adapt best to the continental climate of Kosovo: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, onions, squash and parsley. During the winter, they are ready for use. Although it is the beginning of winter now, the Shala family greenhouse is still green and they are still picking vegetables from it.

“We were lucky to turn this isolation into something positive, to make us feel good: ten minutes spent in the greenhouse to remove ten minutes of anxiety, misinformation, conspiracy theories about the virus, the reality of the time and many other things,” Medina, one of the Shala family members, said.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3Ie0ptc

Workshop on Participatory Strategic Planning organised in Kosovo* (CoE)

On 26 November, a workshop on “Participatory Strategic Planning” was organised in Pristina and targeted the Community Action groups (CAG) and Institutional Working Groups (IWG) from the two new municipalities, Prizren and Kamenica. The event was organised within the joint EU-CoE ROMACTED II Programme on “Promoting good governance and Roma empowerment at local level”, in close cooperation with the Forum for Development and Multiethnic Collaboration (FDMC). 

The workshop aimed to build the capacities of the local authorities and Roma Ashkali Egyptian communities to develop and implement plans and projects with a view to promoting inclusion at the local level. The workshop focused on ROMACTED II methodological steps, and 12 Principles of inclusive good governance applied to the Roma communities and adopted by the Council of Europe. 

The workshop presented the opportunity for municipal authorities and Roma communities to exchange and learn from each other’s experiences and develop a network.  The work in groups identified challenges but presented possibilities for improved inclusive strategic planning. We look forward to working with both mechanisms (IWG and CAG) during ROMACTED II. 

See at:https://bit.ly/3d9e4Dq

Massive protests in Serbia against Rio Tinto’s lithium mining ambition, pollution (balkangreenenergynews.com)

Lithium mining projects, air pollution, and environmental protection issues have ignited large, massive, and almost daily protests across Serbia during the week behind us. Citizens are mobilizing for their right to clean air, soil, and water, which has become increasingly relevant in the absence of the state’s efforts to provide a framework for a clean environment. The environmental concerns are also being mainstreamed in political discourse as the general election in the spring is approaching.

The latest in a string of environmental protests in Serbia was held in Loznica in the west, where Rio Tinto is preparing to build a lithium mine and processing unit. Citizens and activists held a rally after the city parliament canceled a session where it was supposed to review the local spatial plan, as a petition was submitted against the project.

See more at:https://bit.ly/3o7Sndc