Mushtisht villagers clash with police in protest against the visit of displaced Serbs

(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)

After the announcements for a visit of Serbs to the village Mushtisht of Suharekë/Suva Reka municipality, Mushitsht villagers on early hours of Sunday blocked the main roads of the village.

A large crowd of villagers was expecting the Serbs who used to live in this village. At the entrance of the village, the Albanian residents had placed a poster with the names of Serbs, who according to them have committed crimes during the war.

After the ultimatums of Kosovo Police members to the protestors to release the road, were ignored by the protestors, a Special Unit of Kosovo Police arrived at the scene. The order issued by the Police that the road had to be released at any cost caused violent clashes between the protestors and Kosovo Police members.  As a consequence of the clash, several protestors were arrested and many more were injured.

Family members of the missing persons insist that Serbs should not be allowed to enter in this village without giving accountability and apologizing for the crimes committed during the war.

“They know quite well what they have done here, they committed genocide. They took my 13 old-year son and his whereabouts is not known since the end of the war. They told me many times that he is alive and they are keeping him in Serbia,” said one of the protestors.

While, another protestor said that Serbs can return after they acknowledge the accountability for the crimes and for 122 missing persons in this village

The attempts of Kosovo Police to release the road, in order for the busses to pass, only irritated the protestors.  Stones and glasses were thrown at the police officers, forcing them to arrest several of the protestors. For almost six hours the protestors clashed with members of the Special Unit of Kosovo Police.

In the end, Police achieved to release one lane of the road, but this was not enough for the Serbs to continue their visit, as it was planned.

Kosovo Police Director in Prizren, Nexhmedin Krasniqi, confirmed that the three buses with the Serbs returned despite of the fact that police achieved to release the road.

The situation was observed by KFOR members.  The protested ended with 24 arrested protestors and four injured police officers.

The announcement for construction of several houses for the Serbs to return has revolted the villagers of Mushtisht, who have continuously said that they will not allow their return.

On the other hand RTK2 reported that a small group of protestors in Gjakovë/Djakovica tried to stop the vehicle of Dusan Kozarev, the deputy-director of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo.  Police arrested two protestors who tried to stop the vehicle with Kozarev.  Three buses with internally displaced Serbs arrived in Gjakovë/Djakovica on Sunday to attend an Orthodox ceremony.

Stojanovic and Jevtic: Police failed to provide security

(RTK1)

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister, Branimir Stojanovic and the Minister for Return and Communities, Dalibor Jevtic, were together with the Serbs citizens who were going to the village of Mushtisht to attend an Orthodox ceremony that was organized the church of the village.

They expressed dissatisfied with the developments in Mushtisht. Moreover, they also expressed displeased with the members of Kosovo Police who, according to them, did not achieve to provide to the Serb  citizens the opportunity to return for at least one day in the place where they spend the life.

“Kosovo Police could have been more engaged to enable our visit to Mushtisht. Why they have not done this, which is their obligation, remains to be seen in the next days.  It is a bad experience for us and the Serb citizens, because they wanted to be part of this ceremony in the church in Mushtisht” said Deputy PM Stojanovic to RTK1.

“We are disappointed that we could not be part of the ceremony together. Over 160 internally displaced Serbs came to spend a day in the place where they spend the majority of their life. I’m very disappointed because regardless of the fact that we received guarantees from Kosovo Police that we can go there, in the end Police failed to provide the necessary security” said Minister Jevtic.

President Thaçi calls to respect the right of everyone for return

(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)

Kosovo Hashim Thaçi, has said that the scenes which have been seen Sunday in the village of Mushtisht are unacceptable and has called to respect the right of everyone to return to their properties.

“These acts are neither in the interest of Kosovo nor in the interest of its citizens”, said President Thaçi, reiterating that it is the right of everyone to return to his property and his place of origin.

“The issue of the missing, the displaced, and occupied properties are open wounds from the war. We must close these wounds as soon as possible and face to the future”, said President Thaçi, who stressed that the future is in peace, dialogue and cooperation.

Government condemns the protest, opposition supports the protestors

(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)

Different reactions were made about the protest of Mushtisht villagers, who clashed with the Police only to prevent the internally displaced Serbs from visiting this village.

Government of Kosovo expressed its regret for the violent incidents which have happened on Sunday in village Mushtisht.

“Government of Kosovo fully respects the right of all citizens to peacefully protest for any reason, as a basic right for expressing opinions and public requests,” reads the reaction of the Government.

The Government considers the demands of citizens to solve all the war crimes and to punish the perpetrators of the crime as fully legitimate.

“Any Kosovo citizen, regardless of the ethnicity, has the full rights to return to the property. This right is guaranteed by the Constitution of Kosovo, by the international Conventions but it is also in compliance with the tradition, the will and the vision of the people of Kosovo for a peaceful coexistence,” concludes the reaction.

Kosovo Assembly Speaker, Kadri Veseli also reacted to the events that took place on Sunday.  He said that Kosovo does not need developments such as the ones in Mushtisht.

“War wounds in Mushtisht, as elsewhere in Kosovo, are open wounds which demand genuine justice, but in any case the essential difference should be made between those who have committed the crimes and the Serb community in Kosovo,” said Speaker Veseli.

On the other hand, Kosovo Minister for Returns and Communities, Dalibor Jevtic expressed displeased, saying that the protest in Mushtisht conveys a negative message that Serbs are not welcomed.

“Gjakovë/Djakovica is being repeated. Some people use the same way to send the message that Serbs are not welcomed,” said Minister Jevtic.

But the leader of Vetëvendosje Movement, Visar Ymeri defended the protestors. He considered the intervention of Police against the protestors as brutal, emphasizing that those citizens are fully right for the concerns which they have raised, during the protest.

“Mushtisht and Gjakovë/Djakovica residents are fully right about the issues which they are raising through the protests.  War criminals from the Serbian army and police who killed, slaughtered, raped and destroyed their life and property should not be walking freely on the streets,” Ymeri wrote in his personal Facebook account.

AAK caucus chief, Pal Lekaj also considered the action of Kosovo Police as unacceptable.

“The villagers have demonstrated that they do not want the Serbs in that village until justice is made for the massacres that have happened there.  You cannot be the ‘executioner’ and return to the crime scene as nothing happened,” MP Lekj wrote.

EU Office in Kosovo expressed concerned over Mushtisht incident and commended police for preventing injuries and material damages.  “We understand war wounds, but respect for the right to return is necessary for normalisation of relations in Kosovo” reads the press release of the EU Office.