Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: We are surprised by the tolerance and silence of internationals (media)
• Kurti’s advisor to EU, Germany, France, U.S.: Do we even have an agreement? (media)
• Opposition calls on Kurti to report to the Assembly today (Kallxo)
• Reactions to criminal complaint and suspension of business certificate of Klan Kosova
• Hoti: Government creating situations that increase importance of 1244 (Albanian Post) 
• Haradinaj meets Rohde: Created situation is a shared concern (Kosovapress)
• Trucks with Serbian goods are not being allowed to enter Kosovo (Koha)
• Podujeva mayor confirms three Kosovars released from detention in Serbia (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Serbs continue protesting in Zvecan, demand release of arrested compatriots (Kosovo Online)
• Vucic: Situation in Kosovo very difficult, I hope EU and US will bring Kurti to reason (Tanjug)
• Guarantees that Belgrade received that Serbs who were at barricades will not be arrested (RTS)
• Milenkovic: Serbian List losing its authority, Serbs in Kosovo do not trust anyone (N1)
• Vucic: I asked Quint representatives to prevent Kurti from causing new war in Balkans (Kosovo Online, social media)
• Djuric: Urgent action needed to prevent tragedy in Kosovo (Tanjug)
• Musar: We don’t want conflicts in the Western Balkans, Kosovo should do its part (Beta, NMagazin)
• Escobar tomorrow on events in Serbia and Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• Kelmendi: We will not allow them! They will not make it! (Klan Kosova)

International:

• Fraternal Discord: Rama’s Cancellation of Meeting With Kurti Strains Kosovo-Albania Ties (BIRN)
• Kosovo Govt Condemned for Suspending Broadcaster’s Business Certificate (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• IOM: Language rights should be promoted and respected (RTK2, KiM radio)

Albanian Language Media  

Kurti: We are surprised by the tolerance and silence of internationals (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti told a press conference one day after three Kosovo police officers were taken by Serbian forces, that he is not surprised by Serbia’s actions but that he is surprised by the tolerance and silence of internationals about Serbia’s actions. He called on international actors to apply pressure on Belgrade.

“We call on internationals to apply pressure on Belgrade and we call for the release of the police officers. Serbia does not surprise us because it has not changed its appetites. What surprises us is the tolerance and silence of internationals about Serbia’s actions and its continuous attempts for instability,” he said.

Kurti said the government is communicating with Kosovo’s liaison office in Belgrade to learn where the three police officers are being held and to arrange a possible meeting with them.

Kurti said he was surprised that KFOR has not yet issued an official statement about the location where the incident happened. “What continues to surprise me is that even one day later, KFOR does not make an official statement about the truth that we are telling you here. What is the sense of KFOR not coming out with an official explanation about the location, the location is clearly in the Republic of Kosovo,” he said.

Kurti presented a map showing that the incident happened deep inside Kosovo’s territory. “This is not about an arrest in Serbia but a kidnapping in Kosovo … it is not true that our police officers crossed the border as Serbia is falsely claiming,” he said. “KFOR knows all this, but their silence does not contribute to de-escalation, investigations, or justice. It makes no sense to have no official statement [from KFOR] even one day after an event in the territory of Kosovo. It can be a violation of Resolution 1244, but it is the commander of KFOR who in every statement refers to Resolution 1244. We consider our Constitution as a right and responsibility”.

Kurti also said that “KFOR and Kosovo Police were at the site and traces of foreign boots and plastic handcuffs were found there … Both the vehicle [of Kosovo Police] and the food that the police officers ate are deep in the territory of Kosovo,” he said.

According to Kurti, two Serbian armed formations entered the territory of Kosovo. “There are two armed formations of Serbia that entered Kosovo and KFOR should deal with them. The special anti-terror unit SAJ and the special military unit Kobra,” he said.

Kurti said he had a telephone conversation with the U.S. Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, on Wednesday evening. “We discussed the security situation, and I told them that I expect KFOR to send me information in the form of assessment and conclusion before the meeting of the Security Council which was held today at 07:00. But I received no information,” he said. 

Kurti commented on EU High Representative Josep Borrell’s letter in which he called on Kurti to coordinate with KFOR and EULEX about actions in the north. Kurti said that police operations are neither his matter nor the matter of European officials, and that there are operations for which even he is not informed. “We are a democratic republic. I don’t know when a criminal is arrested, because this is a matter of the investigative police, the unit that makes the arrests, and the prosecution. There are arrests that I see at the same time as you, because we are a democratic republic. Such was the arrest of Llune. Operational actions, when someone has to be arrested, are not my matter and I believe not a matter of any European official either. The rule of law in Kosovo is a matter for the Kosovo Police. Kosovo Police have undergone countless trainings in western countries, and they have learned that police operations must not be allowed to be politicised. Therefore, I cannot make any deals on the back of constitutionality and legality,” he said.

Kurti said it was unreasonable to notify international mechanisms before establishing law and order in Kosovo. “There is no sense in having coordination and earlier notifications about the rule of law, before the law happens, because this means ruling over the law, whereas we are for the rule of law,” he added.

Kurti said he was ready to meet with the Serbian side and European facilitators, but that he will not make any concessions when it comes to law enforcement in Kosovo. “I have expressed my readiness for dialogue. When they set the meeting, I am ready. I cannot turn into a violator of the law in Kosovo. I am willing and committed to dialogue, but in Kosovo there needs to be law and Constitution,” he said.

According to Kurti, international actors had promised that if the implementation annex was accorded in Ohrid, the Serbian List would take part in elections in the north, and that this was why Kosovo authorities had extended the deadline for the registration of political parties. “The international actors promised us that if the implementation annex in Ohrid was reached, they guarantee us that the Serbian List would take part in the elections. I was ready for the Serbian List to take part in the elections regardless of what they said about me and what they did to our Republic. And you know what happened next: we extended the registration deadline for five years, we reached the implementation annex in Ohrid, and the Serbian List did not take part in the elections. What can we do, we cannot force the Serbian List to take part in the elections. The international factor promised us they would secure the participation and that was why we extended the deadline,” he said.

Kurti’s advisor to EU, Germany, France, U.S.: Do we even have an agreement? (media)

Advisor to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Jeton Zulfaj, writes in a Twitter post today that “the European Union brought Kosovo the German-French proposal and pressured Kosovo to accept it”. “We accepted and asked to sign. Serbia refused. Serbia says limited implementation and violates article 2, 3, 4 of the agreement. No condemnation and not a single measure against Serbia. Do we even have an agreement?” he tweets.

Opposition calls on Kurti to report to the Assembly today (Kallxo)

The news website reports that opposition parties – PDK, LDK and AAK – called on Prime Minister Albin Kurti to report to the Assembly about the situation created after the incident involving three Kosovo police officers.

PDK leader Memli Krasniqi asked Assembly President Glauk Konjufca to summon Kurti to hold a special session today. “The security situation escalated yesterday. The kidnapping of three police officers is an act of aggression against our Republic. At this time beyond positions, a priority should be the return of the police officers in our country. Dear President, I ask you on behalf of the Assembly to invite Prime Minister Kurti to report in a special session what are the actions of the Government to return our police officers and about the situation in the north of the country,” he said.

LDK parliamentary group chief, Arben Gashi, said Kurti should as soon as possible report in a special session about the situation in the north, the condition of the police officers, and the actions and measures that have been undertaken. He said that Kurti should also report about relations with the U.S. and EU member states.

AAK parliamentary group chief, Besnik Tahiri, said: “we call on the Prime Minister to report to the Assembly about the current situation but above all how to emerge from this situation”.

Reactions to criminal complaint and suspension of business certificate of Klan Kosova 

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) said in a statement today that they are alarmed about the decision made by the Kosovo Trade and Industry Ministry to suspend the business certificate of national private media Klan Kosova”. “The decision is based on the fact that one of the owners of the company has used his Serbian passport to register Klan Kosova in North Macedonia which led to documents presenting Kosovo cities as Serbian cities. Those documents were used to open a branch of Klan Kosova in #Kosovo, which is not forbidden by law or by any procedure. The decision of the government, analysed by ECPMF, refers to the wrong and irrelevant legal base, has no proper justification, is taken by the department with no competence to suspend business certificates. Further, the procedure of suspending business certificates does not exist under national legislation. We believe that the aim of the Ministry is to shut down Klan Kosova and we do agree with Asociacioni i Gazetarëve të Kosovës – AGK that this is unprecedented in the new history of Kosovo and aims at dictating editorial content of the media outlet. We call on Prime Minister Albin Kurti to revoke this decision and to put an immediate end to fast deterioration of media freedom in Kosovo, a country that stood out for pluralism and media freedom in the region. We also call on the Independent Media Commission not to take any measures against Klan Kosova based on this arbitrary and illegal decision. This case is a test for the independence of new members of IMC. We will follow developments closely and keep you updated,” the statement notes.

IPI – The Global Network for Independent Media – said in a Twitter post today “in an unprecedented and alarming move, the business licence of major private broadcaster, Klan Kosova, has been suspended by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. IPI is concerned this decision is disproportionate, potentially not grounded in law and threatens media freedom”.

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Citaku, reacted to the suspension saying that it was preceded by a smearing and dehumanising campaign against reporters. “Senior members of the Vetevendosje have demonised and accused as traitors everyone that did not submit to the leader of the party,” she said. According to Citaku, “a dangerous model, mixed with arrogance, populism, ignorance and authoritarianism is governing Kosovo. This mindset does not pass”.

RTV21 Director, Aferdita Saraqini Kelmendi, said that the decision to suspend the business certificate of Klan Kosova is immature. She argued in a Facebook post that no government body can close the TV station or revoke its broadcasting licence because the TV station reports only to the Independent Media Commission. “Television as a concept is an institution! And when you are dealing with an institution, the steps towards it cannot be arbitrary! Investigations can include those responsible for the registration and not the Television, staff, and program! The Television cannot be closed and stopped! The work of the administration and payments can be stopped until the situation is explained, but not the work of reporters and the broadcasting. This cannot be done if the Independent Media Commission has found no violation related to broadcasting and programming,” she argued.

T7 Director, Leonard Kerquki, said in a Facebook post that “the government’s decision against Klan Kosova is a sign that even worse days are coming for Kosovo media by a government that is turning into a repressive regime against any voice of criticism. The reporters and the media should come together in defence of their freedom and editorial independence. This is not a battle of Klan Kosova alone, but a battle between the free media and the current government”.

Reporter and publicist, Halil Matoshi, argued in a Facebook post that media in Kosovo should boycott the work of the government following the ministry’s decision to suspend Klan Kosova’s business certificate. Matoshi said that the freedom of the media is non-negotiable. “In order to protect Klan Kosova and themselves from the government’s arbitrary interventions, Kosovar media must boycott the government and not report about the government, including their regular meetings,” he said.

Media lawyer, Flutura Kusari, said that the Business Registration Agency (ABRK) decision to suspend Klan Kosova’s business certificate “is a decision with a wrong legal basis, beyond its competencies, arbitrary, lacks the proper justification and has only one goal – to have total control over Klan Kosova and other media”. “Such decisions are very similar to decisions taken by authorities in Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Greece, or Bulgaria, against the media. The ABRK decision is not a legal document, rather it is a political and well-orchestrated document by this government, and which will have terrible consequences for democracy in our country,” Kusari argued.

Hoti: Government creating situations that increase importance of 1244 (Albanian Post) 

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Avdullah Hoti, argues in a Facebook post today that “because of lack of state rationale in the management of Kosovo’s state interests, following close narrow electoral interests in decisions of strategic nature and national security, and without coordinating with the allies on these decisions, situations are being created that increase the importance of Resolution 1244 in the management of security challenges in Kosovo”. 

“This marks a setback. In previous governments, unable to formally annul Resolution 1244 at the UN Security Council, work was done with the allies in totally diminishing its importance. This approach included less frequent reports at the UN and a lower representation by Kosovo’s side. I hope these situations are not irreversible in the future government of Kosovo, which will have to immediately restore normality in the country and close and necessary cooperation with the allies,” Hoti argues. 

Haradinaj meets Rohde: Created situation is a shared concern (Kosovapress)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, met today with German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, and discussed the current situation in the north of Kosovo, with Haradinaj calling it a shared concern.

“I thanked Ambassador Rohde for Germany’s continued support in all phases, this support is ongoing regarding the challenges that our country is faced with. The situation created in the country is our shared concern, and we talked about possibilities to emerge from this situation and to deescalate the current situation,” Haradinaj wrote in a Facebook post.

Trucks with Serbian goods are not being allowed to enter Kosovo (Koha)

A team from Koha reports from the Merdare crossing point that trucks with Serbian foods are blocked and staying on the Serbian side, while trucks with goods originating from other countries were allowed to enter Kosovo. According to Koha there are around 40 trucks with Serbian goods waiting to enter Kosovo.

Podujeva mayor confirms three Kosovars released from detention in Serbia (media)

Podujeva mayor Shpejtim Bulliqi confirmed to Gazeta Express that three citizens from Podujeva who were recently arrested by Serbian police at the Merdare crossing point, have been released from detention and are on their way back to Kosovo.

Upon returning to Kosovo, one of the persons told Koha news website that Serbian police told them that their arrest was for political reasons, and also said that they were treated well by Serbian police.

Serbian Language Media 

Serbs continue protesting in Zvecan, demand release of arrested compatriots (Kosovo Online)

Several hundred people gathered near municipal facilities this morning in Zvecan, expressing dissatisfaction over Pristina’s violent acts, imposing of Albanian mayors whom Serbs deem illegitimate and presence of Kosovo special police units in the municipality, Kosovo Online portal reports.

Protests enter their 18th day, while Serbs continue insisting on their demands – withdrawal of Kosovo special police units, that new Albanian mayors perform their duties at alternative locations and arrest Serbs be released. 

Vucic: Situation in Kosovo very difficult, I hope EU and US will bring Kurti to reason (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today in a joint press conference with Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar who is paying an official visit to Serbia, that the situation in Kosovo is very difficult, and Serbia tries to maintain the peace at any cost, adding he hopes the EU and the US would have enough strength to bring to reason those acting irrationally, Tanjug news agency reports.

He also said he discussed with his Slovenian counterpart the complexity of the situation with Pristina, the need for de-escalation, and that he was grateful to her because she wanted to hear the arguments of the Serbian side. Vucic said he will attend the Brdo Brioni process and visit Skopje on September 11 and 12.

Kurti admitted that they violated international law

Vucic also said that Pristina PM Albin Kurti admitted himself that they violated international law by stating that three arrested Kosovo Albanian police officers were 300 metres away from administrative line, given that based on Military-Technical Agreement they need to report presence at one kilometre from the line (to KFOR).

He also asked what three arrested Kosovo police officers were doing in the territory of Serbia armed with long-barrelled weapons. Vucic added that arrested police officers said “they were looking for mushrooms, and their GPS did not work”.

De-escalation does not depend on Serbia

Vucic said he discussed this morning with Quint and EU representatives about de-escalation of the situation in northern Kosovo.

“We discussed all important issues, the arrest of three heavily armed people on the territory of central Serbia. We spoke about new bans on Serbian goods and licence plates from Serbia, which is a precedent par excellence. We also spoke about how to de-escalate such political relations, and whether we will succeed or not does not depend on Serbia, because Serbia did nothing to escalate those relations”, he said.

He also said that not a single Albanian had been shot at in central Serbia, and that in the last six months six Serbs have been wounded by firearms in Kosovo and that should be taken into consideration. 

Guarantees that Belgrade received that Serbs who were at barricades will not be arrested (RTS)

President Aleksandar Vucic, in a guest appearance last night on RTS, recalled that he received guarantees from NATO and the EU that the Serbs who were at the barricades would not be arrested, and that Milun Milenkovic Lune was arrested yesterday in North Mitrovica.

President Vucic, commenting on yesterday’s arrest of Milun Milenkovic Lune, said that the prosecutor pleads that he is “guilty of the incident in front of the election commission building in northern Mitrovica where they came to show their power and where nothing happened”.

“They say that someone threw a rock or a shock bomb. Of course, he didn’t throw it, but they say he was present. There is one problem. We have a statement, so I could convince the Serbs to leave the barricades and to avoid a conflict with NATO. I received guarantees from NATO and the EU that these people will not be arrested. I have that in writing,” said Vucic, reported RTS. 

Among other things, in the guarantees of the EU and the USA it was stated that they welcome the assurances of Pristina confirming that there are no lists for the arrest or prosecution of Serbian citizens from Kosovo for participating in peaceful protests, that is, barricades.

“At the same time, the rule of law must be respected, and any form of violence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” it added.

It is also emphasised that the USA will support the work of the EU, through the EULEX mission. In accordance with its mandate, EULEX will continue to closely monitor all investigations and procedures resulting from them, in order to improve respect for human rights.

“This especially includes guarantees for fair trials, as well as protection and equal treatment of members of non-majority communities in Kosovo,” the document stated.

All obligations from the dialogue must be implemented without delay, it was added in the document. 

Along with this text, RTS also published this morning a screenshot of the document, to which Vucic referred. The screenshot shows the  Diplomatic Services of the European Union document with the title ‘North of Kosovo Joint Statement by the Spokesperson of the EU High representative and the US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson on the rising tensions,’ with the accompanying text .

Milenkovic: Serbian List losing its authority, Serbs in Kosovo do not trust anyone (N1)

”After yesterday’s event, when three Kosovo police officers were arrested in central Serbia, and which Pristina claims was a kidnapping, I am sure that KFOR is conducting an investigation and will come out with new information about what really happened during the day,” said Marko Milenkovic from the New Social Initiative in Leposavic in the N1 Show ‘Novi Dan’. 

“There is still no confirmation of any other nature and the views on what happened yesterday are deeply opposed. I expect KFOR to address the public today and further clarify the nature of yesterday’s events. I believe that KFOR is investigating, talking to various actors, and they have information about what really happened. The question is whether they will go public with all the information. But even after that, if that happens, I expect that the positions of Belgrade and Pristina will be opposed again,” said Milenkovic.

He said that Serbs in Kosovo are still protesting and this morning, that KFOR and the Kosovo police are present because the tensions are not calming down.

“The escalation is further fueled by Kosovo’s decision to ban the entry of Serbian goods into Kosovo. This decision can lead to a humanitarian disaster because Serbs in Kosovo are supplied with goods from Serbia and this decision only affects the Serbian population. The second decision on the entry of vehicles with Serbian licence plates into Kosovo has not yet entered into force, but this measure would also represent an additional escalation and a threat to basic human rights,” explained Milenkovic.

Milenkovic also said that Serbs in Kosovo have lost trust in the international community, Kosovo institutions, and in the Serbian List.

“The Serbian list is losing the authority it had in previous years. We no longer have local leadership. People are protesting because they betrayed their demands. When we set up the barricades, the Serbian List did not persist in our demands, but left the barricades after consultations with President Vucic. Since then, their authority has been lost. And the latest events are not in their favor because the people did not support their moves. Citizens no longer trust anyone, neither them, nor the international community, which does not send clear messages, nor Pristina, which does not even take those messages into consideration,” says Milenkovic.

He believes that “the fierce decisions of the international community, the immediate withdrawal of the Kosovo Police and that only KFOR takes care of security” are the only way out of the complex situation in Kosovo. Otherwise, according to Milenkovic, “everything else leads to further conflicts”.

Vucic: I asked Quint representatives to prevent Kurti from causing new war in Balkans (Kosovo Online, social media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met again with Quint representatives and the head of EU Delegation to Serbia, asking them to “prevent Albin Kurti from causing a new war in the Balkans”, Kosovo Online portal reports.

“I spoke with EU and Quint representatives. I kindly asked them to do their utmost and prevent Kurti from causing a new war in the Balkans”, Vucic wrote on his official Instagram account. 

Djuric: Urgent action needed to prevent tragedy in Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Ambassador to US, Marko Djuric in a series of post on his Twitter account yesterday said that an urgent action was needed to prevent tragedy from happening following latest decisions of Pristina authorities relating to the Serbian goods and licence plates ban, which aim, as he said, at forceful expulsion of Serbs from Kosovo, Tanjug news agency reports.

“Thousands of Serbs across the North of Kosovo* continue peaceful protests against the oppression of Kurti’s regime and the violent and undemocratic ethnically motivated takeover of Serb majority municipalities. Yesterday’s kidnapping of Milun Milenkovic in K. Mitrovica by Kurti thugs – yet another escalatory and destabilising move – brought even more peaceful protesters onto the streets”, Djuric wrote in a post on Wednesday.

“Today in the early afternoon, local time, three uniformed individuals, wearing Kosovo* Police uniforms, armed with AK-47 rifles, guns and knives, were arrested by the Serbian police near the village of Gnjilice, Raska municipality, central Serbia, 1.8 km from the administrative line. Soon after, the Kosovo* government lies about the whereabouts of their arrest, implying they were apprehended in Kosovo* just off the administrative line”, Djuric added.

Read entire post at: rb.gy/uzyd4

Musar: We don’t want conflicts in the Western Balkans, Kosovo should do its part (Beta, NMagazin)

The President of Slovenia, Natasa Pirc Musar, said today, after a meeting with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, that she does not want conflicts in the Western Balkan region, that both sides are needed to calm the situation, and that Kosovo must do its part, reported portal NMagazin. 

Musar, who is on a working visit to Serbia, at the joint press conference after the meeting with Vucic, said that as a lawyer she appeals for respect for rights, that she wants the Community of Serbian Municipalities to be implemented as soon as possible, as agreed in 2013, and that she does not see any reason for delaying it.

“Vucic agreed with me that talks with Pristina should continue, passions should be calmed and that no one in that area wants new provocations. The relationship between Belgrade and Pristina is significant for the entire region of the Western Balkans, and will show how mature we all are together, both us and Brussels, to calm the situation,” she said.

She said that dialogue is the only real way to a solution because both sides are needed to calm the situation, but also that “Kosovo must do its part”.

Musar also referred to the demonstrations that take place every week in Belgrade and said that they are a legitimate act in every country and that it is part of democracy, and media coverage is part of freedom of expression, adding that it is something that needs to be worked on.

“We have protests in Slovenia as well as you in Belgrade, and there are also protests in front of the institutions of the European Union, and that is a normal part of the process,” said the president.

Musar said that the EU wants the countries of the Western Balkan region under its wing, that she is a big supporter of integration, and that Slovenia will continue to help Serbia on that path.

“Serbia has a lot of work ahead of it, but the EU also has to do a large part of the work on its part, it also has to want to speed up that process. I want the countries of the region to do their part of the work and finally join the community. No holding back for Serbia, Serbian language will be one of the official languages of the EU,” she said among other things.

Escobar tomorrow on events in Serbia and Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

The special envoy of the USA will hold an online media conference tomorrow on the latest developments in Serbia and Kosovo, the State Department announced, reported Kosovo online.

Opinion 

Kelmendi: We will not allow them! They will not make it! (Klan Kosova)

By Adriatik Kelmendi, former director at Klan Kosova TV station, current moderator

Simply put: There is nothing disturbing about the operation of Klan Kosova. Klan Kosova is a Kosovo media outlet employing more than 200 citizens of the Republic of Kosovo and broadcasting news and other programs that promote and engage for the good of Kosovo, with over 100,000 hours of airtime.

The work of Klan Kosova is public. On the screen, on the radio, online portal, in social networks. And certainly, like any free media in a democratic country, Klan Kosova maintains a critical and whatch-dog approach towards various phenomena within the institutions of the Government and society, regardless of the ruling or opposition party.

For this reason, today Klan Kosova is the most followed medium in the Republic.

What does this mean?

Attempted intimidation.

If we do this to a media like Klan Kosova, imagine what we do to others.

Albanians have also shed blood to achieve freedom. Generations of journalists have fought at all costs to preserve freedom and independence even during Milosevic’s time, the war, UNMIK and all governments. Free speech, free thought. The authorities can always find an excuse to silence a journalist, a media. Today they said that it was something about a passport, tomorrow a wrong question at a press conference, the day after tomorrow the color of some television logo.

A power that aims to silence the media, free speech, apprehends the institutions to execute the mission to the end. Initially, through a speculative portal led by party militants, then through regulatory bodies of the media with their people installed there.

But we thought we live in a democracy.

That silencing of media only happens in countries like Russia and Belarus, Serbia and North Korea, not in our Kosovo, not to the people whose ideal to live freely has never been suppressed. And no one will be able to ever suppress it.

It happened one another time during my work as a journalist that the government tried to shut the media down. It was 1999. And the power was that of Milosevic. Even then, an excuse had been found. Two published articles, which were translations from the Serbian news agency Beta. Using these, Milosevic took to court the daily Koha Ditore with the aim of closing it down. Then on March 24, his forces entered the newspaper building, killed the guard and destroyed everything. Milosevic temporarily closed the media, but after a few weeks we continued working in Tetovo and here we are today, all journalists, giving the best to the profession, but also making Kosovo a place with the best media in the region.

I thought that those times would never come back. I had thought that, on June 12, 1999, freedom had finally arrived.

As of yesterday, this achievement of generations is put under the most serious threat ever. In Kosovo, we claimed to be free.

However, Kosovar journalists have passed the exam. Not once. Many times.

Unfortunately, Kosovo got the biggest stain, that there are powers that intend to close the media. As in places like Russia and Belarus, as in Serbia and North Korea.

We will not let them! They will not make it!

International 

Fraternal Discord: Rama’s Cancellation of Meeting With Kurti Strains Kosovo-Albania Ties (BIRN)

The cancellation of a joint meeting between the two governments due to the tense situation in Kosovo’s Serb-majority north has further damaged already frayed relations between Albin Kurti and Edi Rama.

The final steps to organize the ninth annual joint meeting between Kosovo’s and Albania’s governments were still being taken late on Tuesday evening at the Gjakova/Djakovica city library in western Kosovo.

“Everything was ready. Even yesterday afternoon, when the press communication from Albania was released, the work was still ongoing. We worked until around 10pm,” Engjell Berisha, director of the library, told BIRN.

The meeting was due to take place on Wednesday. But in a last-minute twist, late on Tuesday, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that he had decided to cancel the meeting.

Rama claimed that the meeting could not be held “in the circumstances of Kosovo’s aggravated relations with the entire Euro-Atlantic community”, referring to international criticism of Kosovo’s handling of developments in its northern Serb-majority municipalities.

Only a few hours earlier on Tuesday, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti had announced that the plans remained intact.

Read more at: https://t.ly/aVmR

Kosovo Govt Condemned for Suspending Broadcaster’s Business Certificate (Balkan Insight)

Media organisations have voiced concern for media freedom after the Kosovo government suspended the business certificate of the country’s major private broadcaster.

Local and international media organizations accused the Kosovo government of attempting to curb media freedom after the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade suspended the business certificate of the private broadcaster Klan Kosova.

Read more at:https://shorturl.at/hoOX9

Humanitarian/Development

IOM: Language rights should be promoted and respected (RTK2, KiM radio)

The International Organization for Migration presented the results of the “Improving Language Rights in Kosovo” project, which was designed to provide competent institutions with support for the improvement of the policy framework for the effective implementation of language rights.

Language rights should be promoted and respected, because all languages are in use in Kosovo, said Anna Rostocka, noting that the Law on the Use of Languages in Kosovo is good, but not implemented.

“Language is a means of communication, we use it to express our emotions, but also our needs. Language can separate people, but at the same time it is part of culture and our identity, who we are. We express our thoughts with the language we speak, and we get to know the world. It is part of our basic rights, to express ourselves in our mother tongue and to have access to information in it,” said Rostocka.

Without the right to use the mother tongue, other human rights cannot be realized either. Language rights are very important for the realization of all other human rights.

“Language is an important means of communication, which not only strengthens the individual, but also the entire community to preserve its linguistic identity…” says the Head of the Human Rights Department and representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jerome Bouyjou. 

-UNMIK supported the establishment of the first free access platform known as Vocup, and we continue to work with IOM to advance language rights. At the end of the project, more than 77 thousand users were registered and benefited from learning one or another language. UNMIK and the Office of the Commissioner for Languages continue with projects to improve language rights in Kosovo, said Bouyjou.

The right to use language, as one of the basic human rights, is also guaranteed by the Constitution of Kosovo, the ombudsman points out.

“As far as language rights are concerned, our Constitution, in Articles 51 and 59, guarantees the framework, parameters and standards for recognizing the language rights of all citizens living in Kosovo. On the other hand, based on the constitutional standard, the recognized official languages are Albanian and Serbian, and languages of other communities are also in official use in public administration at the local level,” said representative of the ombudsman, Naim Qelaj.

Linguistic rights are an inseparable part of identity, the commissioner for languages pointed out, and reminded that this type of guaranteed right was only considered when an individual in the institutions could not realize it.

“Unfortunately, individuals do not think about the nature of language rights every day. In fact, they understand the nature of linguistic rights the moment those rights are revoked and denied, the moment their linguistic right is violated. They realize how important the language right is for them as individuals, and they think about it when they cannot exercise that right in the institution,” said the commissioner for languages, Slavisa Mladenovic.

The Ombudsperson Institution and the Office of the Commissioner for Languages are aware of violations of the right to use languages in the field, and they are trying to solve this problem with joint efforts.