Police searches the flat of Albin Kurti’s parents
(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
Kosovo Police is searching for Albin Kurti. At the evening hours of Thursday, police searched the flat of Kurti’s parents in Aktash quarter of Prishtinë/Pristina to see if Vetëvendosje MP was hiding in it. Albin Kurti’s father confirmed the police visit to Kohavision.
Kosovo Police also confirmed that it took an action at the flat of Kurti’s parents searching for him, but they did not find him there.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the State Prosecution once again called on MPs against which arrest warrants were issued to cooperate with prosecution bodies.
In a letter addressed to media, State Prosecution said that persons elected by the people be an example in respecting the independent justice bodies.
Hyseni: Arrest warrants are not political
(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)
A day after the protests that escalated to violence, Kosovo interior minister Skender Hyseni staged a press conference to talk about the balance of Wednesday’s developments.
Minister Hyseni said that there were flagrant violations of the law by protesters, while he commended Kosovo Police for its work.
Hyseni said that Kosovo Police has the capacities to face with any kind of protest, and guaranteed that arrest warrants are not political. Minister Hyseni said he does not know when Vetëvendosje MPs, Albin Kurti, Albulena Haxhiu and Faton Topalli will be arrested, as this belongs to Prosecution and Police.
Opposition parties cancelled Thursday’s protest
(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)
There will be no street gathering of opposition parties’ activists at least until 28 November. However, it was not made very clear by Vetëvendosje, AAK, and Nisma if this was a definitive matter.
Leaders of these three parties met on Thursday and announced that their contradiction of agreements and arrest of MPs will also continue in other forms, aside from protests.
Furthermore, AAK chairperson Ramush Haradinaj even threatened the authorities saying that it is being orchestrated by Isa Mustafa, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli and Shpend Maxhuni.
They considered the arrest warrants for MPs political.
Thaçi: Destruction of state by a violent opposition group will not be allowed
(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, said that opposition has withdrawn from violence, but, according to him, they are doing this to buy time. Thaçi said that state institutions will never back off.
“The frustrated and violent opposition parties announced that they withdraw from violent protests to take the power through violence. Of course, they did not forget to make public threats against the most senior officials of the state based on the logic of provincial customs,” Thaçi said.
“Opposition parties decided to stop destroying state institutions, public and private property, but not because they have realised how condemnable their violent actions are. They are resting today to buy some time and find some violent people anywhere they can, because their supporters are diminishing. They may withdraw today, but citizens and state institutions will never back off,” Thaçi wrote on his Facebook account.
Foreign Embassies condemn violence
(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
The Embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States in Prishtinë/Pristina condemned the violence used in Wednesday’s protests.
Through a joint press statement issued to media, Embassies of Quint countries called for respect of the rule of law, and underlined that violence as a tool for achievement of political goals is unacceptable.
“We call for respect for the rule of law, democratic procedures, and international norms. Political violence is unacceptable, and damages the interests of Kosovo citizens and Kosovo’s international standing. This benefits no one. We commend the professionalism of the Kosovo Police and stress the importance of all citizens, regardless of rank or position, abiding by the law,” reads the joint statement of these Embassies.
Kosovo Police with double standards for treatment of protesters
(KTV)
All the leading structures of Kosovo Police insist that they do not take political orders, but they yet again prove how police in certain cases is politically cautious while intervening.
At the time when police officers were chasing about 300 opposition protesters to free the roads of Prishtinë/Pristina, at the entrance of Zvecan/Zveçan, other officers did not react at all to free the road for the escort of finance minister Avdullah Hoti.
Kosovo Police officers backed away in front of the Serb protesters, several times fewer in numbers than those in Prishtinë/Pristina, which annulled the visit of minister Hoti who was going to Jarinje border point.
Interior minister, Skender Hyseni, said that it must be admitted that due to political sensitiveness, Police cannot intervene the same way throughout Kosovo.
Non-intervention of police in the north was also considered as violation of law by the Council for Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms.
“CDHRF concludes that in this case we have a flagrant violation of the law and implementation of double standards, where the police somewhere uses force to implement the law, while in Kosovo north, the police not only does not implement the law, but it lines up in the side of extremists and law violators, consequently impeding freedom of movement and physical safety of senior state authorities,” CDHRF stated.
During Wednesday’s protest, police also intervened brutally against the journalist Labinot Balaj, who, no matter that he did not oppose anyone, suffered head injuries by police hits. Minister Hyseni expressed his lament for this action.
Meanwhile, to journalist Balaj, police intervention against him remains unjustifiable.
Minister Hyseni said that even journalists should be more careful during such protests, when the police intervene extensively.
PM Mustafa requests Juncker’s support for visa liberalization
(All monitored broadcasters, Klan Kosova)
During the second day of his visit in Brussels, Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa met the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos and MEP Elmar Brok.
Finalisation of the visa liberalisation process and other European integration processes were the main topics of the meetings.
According to a press release of the Office of the Prime Minister, Mustafa emphasized the strong commitment of the Government to European integration processes and to the socio-economic development of Kosovo.
PM Mustafa stressed the need for liberalisation of visas for Kosovo citizens, and requested support for Kosovo in this process.
Sentencing of Kosovo Police officers considered scandalous
(Klan Kosova &KTV)
Sentencing of 11 Kosovo Police members that stopped nine persons during the visit of Aleksandar Vulin in 2013 is being considered a political sentence. According to the opposition, decision of Basic Court in Prishtinë/Pristina is scandalous.
Through a reaction, AAK emphasised that Government of Kosovo ditched and humiliated the police officers by not providing them any kind of protection.
Council for Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms also qualified this decision political.
On the other hand, Kosovo interior minister Skender Hyseni was not even aware what was decided about these police officers in question.
Kosovo Police unionists also expressed their support to their sentenced colleagues.
Hasani: Some elements of the Association go beyond the Constitution
(RTK1)
During an interview with RTK1, the former President of Constitutional Court of Kosovo, Enver Hasani, said that in some elements the Association of Serb majority municipalities touches on the Constitution of Kosovo, namely goes beyond it.
According to him, the part related to constitution of the Assembly of this Association is disputable, for which the Constitutional Court in its decision must clarify to its end.
Hasani said that Prime Minister Isa Mustafa is not forced to resign even in the case when the Constitutional Court might declare part of the Agreement on the Association as anti-constitutional.
