Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: Kosovo-Serbia agreement must be binding for both parties (media)
• Osmani: Kosovo is proud to have so many friends and allies by its side (media)
• Atiq: Serb citizens feel safer than in the past (Klan Kosova)
• Radomirovic: Serbs don’t want their lives led by Radoicic and Serbian List (media)
• Biserko: Serbia has not relinquished idea for Kosovo partition (media)
• Balje stopped by Serbian police: Took my documents for one hour (media)
• Deliu-Kodra: Report revealed govt’s inability to build uncorrupt institutions (Koha)
• Hoti: Report highlights govt corruption, attacks against media, judiciary (media)
• Gervalla signs decision prohibiting employment of relatives in ministry (Kallxo)
• Ukrainian MP: Serbia to renounce imperial tendencies, recognize Kosovo (RFE)
• Kamberi meets Von Cramon, talk discrimination of Albanians in the Valley (Klan)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Petkovic and SL: Vucic clearly stated in NY that it is necessary to protect the Serbs in Kosovo (KiM radio)
• By advocating for the A/CSM, Belgrade working to create an independent Kosovo, says Trajkovic; No government in Pristina has treated Serbs worse, says Vorgucic  (N1, KoSSev, Danas )
• The indictment for war crimes against Dragisa Milenkovic confirmed (KiM radio, RTS)
• Radomirovic “has no time” to comment on audio recording, Serbian List demands accountability (Radio KIM, KoSSev)
• Mojsilovic: Protection of fundamental human rights of Serbian people in Kosovo is still inadequate (Radio Mitrovica sever, Politika)
• European Parliament approved visa liberalization for Serbian passport holders from Kosovo (Tanjug)
• Commemoration for victims of NATO bombing at RTS (N1, RTS)
• Holocaust Remembrance Day marked in Serbia (N1, media)
• State Department: Serbia still faces problems with corruption, judiciary, media freedom (N1)

International:

• Kosovo, Serbia Trade Accusations At UN Security Council Meeting (RFE)

Albanian Language Media  

Osmani: Kosovo-Serbia agreement must be binding for both parties (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on Monday that Pristina is not objecting to the implementation of its obligations from the agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, but that it demands for the agreement to be binding for both parties. In an interview with the Voice of America in Albanian following the session of the UN Security Council on the situation in Kosovo, Osmani said: “the agreement does not contain only the article about the Association [of Serb-majority municipalities], among other issues it also calls on Serbia to recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, not to use violence as means for inter-state relations, and in Article 4 it calls on Serbia not to obstruct or oppose Kosovo’s membership in international organizations. So Kosovo is only asking for the agreement to be implemented in its entirety, and not for only one party to be asked to fully implement it, while the other party is not asked to implement any of the provisions.”

Osmani said that the agreement on the path toward normalization is an international obligation for Kosovo. “We certainly know that this is an international obligation for Kosovo, but there are several principles that we take into consideration and we have as red lines for the establishment of the Association, among them is the decision of the Constitutional Court from 2015, and the fact that it [the Association] cannot have executive competencies as described in Mogherini’s letter and that it needs to be in line with the U.S. position published in the op-ed by Cholet and Escobar,” she said.

Osmani: Kosovo is proud to have so many friends and allies by its side (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a post on X today that she was “delighted to meet representatives from partner countries after the UNSC meeting today”. “A great opportunity to celebrate Kosovo’s continuous strides and to discuss our unwavering path towards Euro-Atlantic institutions. Kosovo is proud to have so many friends and allies by its side!” Osmani wrote.

Atiq: Serb citizens feel safer than in the past (Klan Kosova)

Mayor of Mitrovica North, Erden Atiq, in an interview with the TV station on Monday, commented on the vote for the dismissal of the mayors of the four Serb-majority municipalities. He argued that Serb citizens feel safer than in the past. “There should not be an impression that the boycott of the referendum comes as a result of the boycott of the municipality and the work we are doing in the municipality,” he said.

Radomirovic: Serbs don’t want their lives led by Radoicic and Serbian List (media)

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister for Communities and Returns, Radoica Radomirovic, said on Monday that Serbs in Kosovo “no longer want their lives to be led by Milan Radoicic and the Serbian List”. In an interview with Radar, he said that proof of this is the call of the Serbian List to boycott the dismissal of the mayors in the north and according to him the SL has realized that the citizens are no longer answering its calls.

“According to several researches, since 2012, nearly €900 million of Serbian taxpayers were appropriated by a dozen companies that were established for this and all of them are under Radoicic’s control. In the north of Kosovo, Radoicic behaved like the owner of the people and tried to negotiate with the Kosovo Government in the following way: ‘you want the population census, very well, these are my terms! But the Government does not accept such discussions or any kind of contact with him. That time is gone!” Radomirovic said.

Radomirovic said that there was criticism about the presence of Kosovo Police special units in the north, but that another important fact is being kept silent. “If they [the police units] were to withdraw, the gangs that roam around here and beat and harass our citizens, would come back. No one will allow this to happen again. You saw them in Banjska. You saw them in December 2022 with their uniforms. As far as I know those are the old uniforms of the [Serbian] Gendarmerie,” he argued.

Radomirovic said he doesn’t believe that Radoicic will be prosecuted for the attack in Banjska. “I think that Vucic will certainly not hand him over. Milosevic too in his time would not have remained in power if he would have extradited Karadzic or Mladic to the Hague. It is simple, they are part of the government. Only after a change of regime, the gangs that we are talking about will be prosecuted. People of the Northern Brigade received donations for projects worth 50 million dinars and there is no trace of them. All the money is returned to Radoicic. If you get a donation of €20,000, €15,000 needs to be returned to Radoicic and €15,000 you can spend however you like. But the project is out of the question,” he claimed.

Biserko: Serbia has not relinquished idea for Kosovo partition (media)

President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (HCHR) in Serbia, Sonja Biserko, said in an interview with Albanian Daily News that Serbia has not relinquished the idea of Kosovo’s partition. “Serbia has continuously made decisions that go against the interests of the Kosovo Serbs. There were withdrawals [of Kosovo Serbs] from the institution, non-participation in the elections and now the Serbian List’s boycott of the April 21 vote in order to demonize the Kosovo government, especially in light of Kosovo’s upcoming membership in the Council of Europe,” she said.

Biserko said that the terrorist attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo in September last year, resulted in dramatic changes in the position of the international community toward Serbia. “The international landscape has changed and [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic has lost credibility in the eyes of the international community after the incident in Banjska and the election fraud in December. The increased pressure from the West (and Russia) has resulted in the radicalization of his rhetoric and threats,” she added.

Biserko also said that the EU-facilitated dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is in crisis, and that the EU was forced to change its approach because of a dangerous constellation which brought security priorities in the first place before democracy, especially after the outbreak of the violence in the north.

Balje stopped by Serbian police: Took my documents for one hour (media)

Most news websites report that Duda Balje, a member of the Kosovo Assembly, was stopped for one hour at the Merdare crossing between Kosovo and Serbia. Balje, who was traveling to Austria with her family, said Serbian police told her that it was a routine check.

Deliu-Kodra: Report revealed govt’s inability to build uncorrupt institutions (Koha)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Blerta Deliu-Kodra, said in a Facebook post today that the latest U.S. State Department’s country report on human rights for Kosovo “revealed the inability of the government to build independent and credible institutions”. “The report speaks of serious government corruption and the impunity of government officials, problems with the judiciary, serious limitations to the freedom of expression and freedom of the media, gender-based violence, domestic violence, crimes and threats and violence against ethnic and other communities,” she said. According to Deliu-Kodra, “such reports for Kosovo will get even worse with a government which tries to intimidate the media”.

Hoti: Report highlights govt corruption, attacks against media, judiciary (media)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Avdullah Hoti, argues in a Facebook post that the latest U.S. State Department country report on human rights in Kosovo is concerning. “The report highlights the presence of serious government corruption, problems with the independence of the judiciary, and serious limitations related to the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media, including violence and threats against reporters,” Hoti said. 

Referring to “affairs like the one with Ambassador Berishaj, the state reserves, corruption affairs in KEK”, Hoti said that “instead of seeking accountability, the heads of institutions publicly defend the suspects”.

Gervalla signs decision prohibiting employment of relatives in ministry (Kallxo)

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, signed today a decision prohibiting the employment of relatives of officials and diplomats in this institution, and blamed previous governments for according to her employing up to four relatives in the ministry. “The line of relatives of political and public figures employed in this ministry is long. Sisters and brothers, wives and husbands, sons and daughters, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law of ministers, MPs, owners of the media, judges and prosecutors,” Gervalla wrote in a Facebook post. “I have made this decision with a high level of responsibility, aware that I am going to be faced with strong opposition from political and media circles that were accustomed to such issues, and which in turn greatly weakened the structure of the ministry and the willingness of staff members to work with commitment.”

Ukrainian MP: Serbia to renounce imperial tendencies, recognize Kosovo (RFE)

Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, Oleksiy Goncharenko, said in an interview with the news website, that Kosovo cannot be “a gray area” in Europe and that Serbia should accept the fact that Kosovo is an independent state and establish neighborly relations. “The time of empires in Europe is over … If it [Serbia] does not renounce this approach it will continue to live in poverty and revanchism, while being exploited by Russia, Iran and other countries that want to spark tensions in the Balkans,” he argued.

Kamberi meets Von Cramon, talk discrimination of Albanians in the Valley (Klan)

Shaip Kamberi, the only Albanian member in the Serbian Parliament, met today with European Parliament member Viola von Cramon, and said after the meeting that they discussed the problems of the discrimination of Albanians in Serbia, especially in Presevo Valley. 

“We had thorough discussions about the importance of equal treatment and individual and collective freedoms, based on international and European norms and conventions for human rights … For us, cooperation with our friends and partners is crucial to achieve our objectives and to impact the necessary changes to secure a fairer and more equal society for all,” Kamberi said in a Facebook post.

Serbian Language Media 

Petkovic and SL: Vucic clearly stated in NY that it is necessary to protect the Serbs in Kosovo (KiM radio)

The Director of the Office for KiM, Petar Petkovic, and representatives of the Serbian List spoke after last night’s address by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, at the UN SC session, stating that he clearly said it is necessary to protect the Serbs in Kosovo, reported KiM radio. 

“The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, showed in front of the eyes of the whole world, at the session of the UN SC, how the interests of our only and proud Serbia and the suffering Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the principles of international law and the charter, are defended uncompromisingly, truthfully, principled and reasoned UN,” said the director of the Office for KiM, Petar Petkovic.

He added that we are witnessing the systematic persecution of the Serbian people who just want to be on their own.

“Their thunderous voice today was President Vucic who did not forget Srecko Sofronijevic, nor the Stojanovic brothers, nor the reapers who died in agony, nor the murder of Serbian children in Gorazdevac, nor the Pogrom, the destroyed Serbian shrines, the burnt houses…”, emphasized Petkovic. 

According to Petkovic, “Serbia has had very few leaders in history who were ready to sacrifice their future and political and personal destiny in order to protect their own people”.

The Serbian List’s representatives stated that at the UN SC session, during the presentation of President Aleksandar Vucic, ”a clear message could be heard that, regardless of all the lies of Pristina, it is necessary to protect the Serbian people in Kosovo, who are exposed to undisguised repression and persecution by the Kosovo institutions”.

“At a time when the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are facing the greatest pressure from the anti-Serb regime of Albin Kurti, at the session of the UN SC, it was once again shown who is the only ally and sincere fighter for our people in these difficult times, and that is the president Aleksandar Vucic,” the announcement read. 

The SL also added that “regardless of all the Pristina’s lies and subterfuges, and the efforts of their mentors to present them as a constructive side, in the middle of New York a clear message was heard that it is necessary to protect the Serbian people who are exposed to undisguised repression and persecution by Kosovo institutions and release all the Serbs who are in the Pristina casemates, who are innocent and honorable people, political prisoners of the regime in Pristina”, reported KiM radio.

By advocating for the A/CSM, Belgrade working to create an independent Kosovo, says Trajkovic; No government in Pristina has treated Serbs worse, says Vorgucic  (N1, KoSSev, Danas)

By daily advocating for the Association/Community of Serb majority Municipalities (A/CSM), Belgrade is actually advocating for the creation of an independent state of Kosovo, believes Momcilo Trajkovic from the Serbian National Forum, while Isak Vorgucic,  director of Radio Kim, says that policy towards Serbs has never been worse than at this moment, when Albin Kurti and Vjosa Osmani are in power. 

Commenting on UNMIK’s report, which was presented yesterday during the session of the UN SC, Vorgucic assessed, last night in the N1 Newsnight, that UNMIK balances between the two sides and does not want to hold a grudge against the Albanians, because it works in Kosovo. Momcilo Trajkovic agreed.

“However, under that camouflage, things are happening that are disastrous for the Serbs. We cannot be satisfied with the actions of UNMIK because it has reduced its actions, and Resolution 1244 is called into question. That routine only suits those who participate in it, both Vucic and the Kosovo side. Both are sending messages to the domestic public, especially ours, in order to reconcile the catastrophic situation that has been created around Kosovo and Metohija and the politics that has been defeated,” Trajkovic said.

Commenting on Vucic’s presentation, he said that the President of Serbia ”does not care what anyone will say there, but what message he will convey to the domestic public.”

“No government has treated Serbs worse”

Isak Vorgucic said that UNMIK and the representatives of the international community through their embassies know in what crisis are the human rights in Kosovo. 

“What President Osmani says (that Kosovo is a young republic where human rights are respected) could not be further from the truth. We had persecution immediately after 1999, and then in 2004, and especially since Kurti and Osmani came to power, we have a terrible rhetoric that is primarily directed at Belgrade but includes all Serbs. There are also actions on the ground, an increase in security forces in the north, arrests 25 years after the war for alleged war crimes, expropriation of land… There is pressure and no government has treated Serbs worse,” Vorgucic said, adding that many are moving out.

Last year, we heard from President Vucic about 10, 11 percent of Serbs who left Kosovo, and Trajkovic says that the key problem was perspective.

“No one offers a perspective; everyone is watching how the nation is slowly disappearing. Kurti’s policy directly works to reduce the number of Serbs and make them insignificant. The Community of Serbian Municipalities should also be viewed in this context. I am afraid that when the time comes for it to be formed, the conditions for it to happen will cease,” said Trajkovic among other things. 

“Kurti’s politics are militant and cruel”

‘’Kurti’s politics is militant, cruel, and what it did in Kosovo can be compared to extreme extremism,’’ he added. 

“It is not an anti-Serbian policy, but anti-Serb one. He will always seek further exodus of the Serbian people. No one stands in the way of that policy. On the other hand, there is a weak Serbian policy that has left behind ruins and the people have found themselves in a real disaster,” Trajkovic assessed.

“The international community will insist on Banjska”

Considering that the topic of every meeting is the Banjska case, Vorgucic said that in the Serbian legal system, it would be very difficult to solve that case.

“As far as I am aware, the international community will continue to insist that what happened in Banjska be investigated and that those responsible be punished. That is very clear. Today we heard that Vucic condemned Banjska at the meeting, but that is not enough,” adding that it will be difficult for the prosecuting authorities to bring them to justice. 

“Serbian politics in Kosovo lost, because one man took everything upon himself”

Trajkovic said that the Serbs in Kosovo are “entangled like chickens in a chicken coop”, because Serbia has no strategy.

“It left these people and took away the tools from them to defend themselves. The authorities from Belgrade are trying to manipulate the public that they are not responsible for Kosovo’s entry into the CoE. The worst thing I’ve heard is that the president says that he was deceived by international factors. By saying this, he admitted responsibility for what he had done. How is it possible for the Serbian side to fulfill everything from the Brussels Agreement and in the meantime wait and watch as Pristina does not fulfill a single obligation?”, he asked and answered – it is possible because one man took over all the power and all the decisions.

“A/CSM is salvation, but for Belgrade”

In Belgrade, the A/CSM is presented as a salvation, and Vorgucic (who lives in Gracanica) says that the idea itself once came from Belgrade, that the Serbs from Kosovo were not consulted. 

“The A/CSM is probably a salvation for Belgrade that could represent how the Serbs got something, and they allowed the integration of the police, the judiciary and the municipalities in the north. It would be in Pristina’s interest to integrate the Serbs into the Kosovo system fully and formally in this way. But Pristina does not want the Serbs to be framed in one organization that would represent their interests. All the actions they are conducting are aimed at weakening the Serb-majority municipalities, making the Serbs lose patience and leave, and making the idea of the A/CSM meaningless,” Vorgucic said. 

Trajkovic concluded that the A/CSM should serve the Albanian side to secretly integrate the last three institutions – health, education, and culture – into the Kosovo system, and that when the A/CSM formed, Serbia would no longer have authority in Kosovo.

“It is a message that Serbia is working to create an independent state of Kosovo. Daily advocacy for A/CSM means that Kosovo will finally be independent,” Trajkovic underlined.

The indictment for war crimes against Dragisa Milenkovic confirmed (KiM radio, RTS)

The Court of Appeal in Pristina confirmed the indictment against Dragisa Milenkovic, accused of alleged war crimes against the civilian population, reported KiM radio, citing RTS. 

The defense attorney of the accused, Dejan Vasic, requested its preliminary dismissal, claiming that the investigation conducted by the Special Prosecutor’s Office was illegal.

Vasic stated that Milenkovic’s defense was never called in connection with the implementation of investigative actions by the police and for the hearing of witnesses, the media in Pristina reported.

Dragisa Milenkovic from Kisnica near Gracanica, on January 10, 2024, at the first hearing, pleaded not guilty to war crimes, but pleaded guilty to illegal possession of weapons.

In the motion to dismiss the indictment, attorney Vasic stated that the reasonable suspicion necessary for the accusation was not sufficiently proven, as well as that the Prosecution’s evidence was illegal.

The indictment of the Special Prosecutor’s Office dated December 26, 2023, accuses Dragisa Milenkovic of having, during the war in Kosovo in 1998-1999 in Pristina and Lipljan, in collaboration with other prison officials, Ljubomir Cimburovic, former director of the District Prison in Pristina, Predrag Bradic and Milivoje Ivic, a former prison guard, “systematically mistreated Albanian prisoners, torturing them with various tools such as rubber sticks, metal rods , electric cables, water pipes, blows with feet and hands, up to beatings, inflicting physical injuries”.

According to the indictment, the victims explained that after the beating they felt severe pain in their whole body, that they suffered psychological violence, that they were left without food for almost a week, seriously endangering their lives, and as a result of this and the continuous beating, they experienced a state of anxiety and fear. With this, Milenkovic is accused of having committed the criminal offense of “war crime against the civilian population”.

Milenkovic is one of nine people, mostly Serbs, who were arrested by the police last year in Kosovo, on suspicion of committing war crimes against the civilian population. In addition to Milenkovic, Zlatan Arsic, Zarko Zaric, Momir Pantic, Ilija Elezovic, Dragan Milovic, Zoran Kostic, Milos Pljeskovic and Sacir Ljutvija were arrested. During the last year, the Prosecutor’s Office in Pristina filed 15 indictments related to the criminal offense of war crimes against the civilian population.

Eight indictments were brought in absentia and seven, one in the case of Milenkovic, against persons who were already in custody.

Radomirovic “has no time” to comment on audio recording, Serbian List demands accountability (Radio KIM, KoSSev)

An audio recording in which Kosovo deputy minister for communities and returns, Radoica Radomirovic allegedly tells other persons to move into apartments build by the funds of the Serbian Government in Leposavic and dedicated to the vulnerable groups, because they would be registered on Leposavic municipality once it becomes functional, was shared on social media and by some media outlets, Radio KIM reports.

Asked by KIM Radio to comment on the mentioned audio recording, Radomirovic said he “has no time for them”. The Serbian List on the other side requested his accountability.

On September 4, 2023 media reported that unknown persons have broken the entry door on one of the two buildings, constructed with the funds from the Serbian Government and dedicated to the socially vulnerable families in Leposavic municipality.

President of the Provisional Municipal Authority Zoran Todic told the media back then that according to eyewitnesses “Aleksandar Jablanovic’s brother was in that group”, adding that it was particularly concerning that “at some point an adviser to Nenad Rasic (Kosovo Minister for Communities and Returns) and his deputy Radoica Radomirovic had also appeared”.

Following the recent audio recording, Serbian List called Radomirovic be held accountable and prosecuted in an appropriate proceeding, despite political support he enjoys from Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Mojsilovic: Protection of fundamental human rights of Serbian people in Kosovo is still inadequate (Radio Mitrovica sever, Politika)

The Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilovic, stated in an interview for daily Politika that, despite the presence of international security forces, “the protection of the fundamental human rights of Serbian people in Kosovo is still inadequate, since the perpetrators of crimes against Serbs are generally not prosecuted and that attacks by Albanians and desecration Serbian shrines are taking place almost every day,” reported Radio Mitrovica sever.  

He stated that the security situation in the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ) is relatively stable, adding that the Army in cooperation with other security forces of Serbia secures the administrative line in this area, prevents illegal crossings, extremist activities, and the activities of organized crime, and is a decisive factor in peace and stability. 

He singled out as the biggest security challenge in GSZ, illegal logging in the territory of Kursumlija.

He pointed out that the Serbian Army has professional cooperation with KFOR, based on respect for signed agreements and procedures on behavior along the administrative line.

When it comes to the modernization of the Serbian Army, he stated that today it is more equipped, better paid, and operationally more capable of successfully completing tasks from all three missions.

“In accordance with the directive of the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces and the President of the Republic for the development of capabilities, in the first phase the emphasis was on the revitalization and then the strong strengthening of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces, which we are still working on, while now the focus is on equipping the ground component of the Serbian Armed Forces, including special forces,” Mojsilovic stated.

He pointed out that by introducing new combat equipment and modernizing the existing ones, the Serbian Army gained numerous new capabilities and improved the existing ones.

Mojsilovic pointed out that the General Staff of the Serbian Army developed several possible models of compulsory military service, with clearly identified positive and negative effects, with a comparative analysis according to previously defined criteria, based on which the optimal model was recognized and selected.

“Since we received the task from the Supreme Commander, it would not be appropriate for me to speak publicly about its content before submitting the requested proposal” he said.

He opined that in order to restore the compulsory military service, which is not only a military issue, a broader social consensus is necessary and added that, regardless of whether the final decision will be in favor or against the military conscription, the Serbian Armed Forces, as the bearer of the country’s defense, will continue to develop and improve capabilities for the protection of Serbia’s defense interests based on the established defense policy and assigned missions and tasks.

European Parliament approved visa liberalization for Serbian passport holders from Kosovo (Tanjug)

The European Parliament has approved today visa liberalization for Serbian Coordination Directorate passport holders in Kosovo, as per the proposal of MEP and rapporteur for visa liberalization Matjaz Nemec, Tanjug news agency reported.

His report on abolishing visas was supported by 406 out of 597 MEPs. 97 MPEs were against and 94 MEPs abstained.

Following the voting at the EP, the last word about this proposal should be made by EU Council ministers. 

Commemoration for victims of NATO bombing at RTS (N1, RTS)

A traditional commemoration for the Serbian public TV (RTS) staff killed in a 1999 NATO air strike was held at 2.06 AM in Belgrade on Tuesday. Families, co-workers and friends gathered in front of the WHY (ZASTO in Serbian) monument in the park outside the RTS headquarters at the time of the air strike which killed 16 staff members.

Then RTS CEO Dragoljub Milanovic was sentenced to jail time for failing to evacuate the building amid claims that the authorities had been warned that the building would be bombed. None of the people killed in the air strike which targeted an antenna array in front of the building were editorial staff, most of them were video technicians, make-up staff, electricians.

Last night’s gathering was attended by RTS chiefs, 3 cabinet ministers and city administration officials as well as both major journalists organizations (NUNS and UNS).

Holocaust Remembrance Day marked in Serbia (N1, media)

Holocaust, Genocide and Fascism Victims’ Remembrance Day was marked in Serbia on Monday with wreath laying ceremonies headed by government officials. Remembrance Day is marked as a national holiday in Serbia on April 22, the date in 1945 when a group of inmates broke out of the Jasenovac death camp in what was the Nazi Germany’s ally the Independent State of Croatia. The Jasenovac death camp was built by the Ustasha for Serbs, Jews and Roma.

The state ceremony in Belgrade was led by Minister Nikola Selakovic at the site of the Staro Sajmiste (Lager Semlin) camp in New Belgrade where thousands perished during the Nazi occupation.

Selakovic, speaking as an envoy of the Serbian President, told the ceremony that the memory of the victims should be maintained because forgetting them means amnesty for the criminals. “We will continue building a memorial center with the Republika Srpska, we will continue with our suffering brethren, our Jew and Roma compatriots to fight the disregarding of the past because some things have to be remembered forever”, he said.

Wreaths were laid by officials from the Serbian government, Belgrade city administration, Museum of Genocide Victims, Staro Sajmiste memorial center, Jewish community, Roma National Minority National Council, Anti-Fascist Tradition organizations and the diplomatic corps.

State Department: Serbia still faces problems with corruption, judiciary, media freedom (N1)

There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Serbia during 2023, reads the US State Department 2023 Report on Human Rights Practices in Serbia.

Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; serious restrictions on free expression and the press, including violence, threats of violence, and unjustified legal cases against journalists; serious government corruption; trafficking in persons; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or other sexual minority individuals, reads the report.

The government took steps to identify, investigate, prosecute, and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses, both in the police force and elsewhere in the government, following public allegations of abuses. Nevertheless, many observers believed numerous cases of corruption, social and domestic violence, attacks on civil society, and other abuses went unreported and unpunished, says the report.

The full report is available at: https://shorturl.at/iosBE

International 

Kosovo, Serbia Trade Accusations At UN Security Council Meeting (RFE)

The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo traded accusations on April 22 at a session of the UN Security Council in New York called to consider a report on the work of UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani accused Serbia of preventing the integration of ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo into Kosovar institutions, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the world is not paying enough attention to the plight of Serbs living in the region.

Osmani also accused Serbia of “intimidating” the Serbian community in the region, citing as an example the recent detention of Kosovar police officers at the border for what Serbian officials said was “security checks.”

Osmani also noted that a vote on April 21 in four mostly Serbian municipalities in the north of the country fell far short of the 50 percent required to validate the results amid a boycott by Serbian List, the leading Serbian political grouping. The vote was an initiative to remove the current mayors and elect new ones through a recall process.

Speaking at the UN in New York, she said that Serbs in Kosovo “can thank Serbian President Vucic” for the fact that Albanian mayors remain at the head of the municipalities.

Vucic, whose country has refused to recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence, was also present for the council meeting, telling its 15 members that the international community paid a lot of attention to the incident in Banjska in September but not to the attacks on the Serbian minority.

The incident near Kosovo’s border with Serbia escalated tensions dramatically when an ethnic Albanian Kosovar police officer was left dead after an encounter with masked commandos allegedly led by a Kosovar Serb politician who has long enjoyed Belgrade’s support. Three of the gunmen were also killed.

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