04 Dec 14

Some 300 Kosovo war veterans tried to storm the Pristina University rector’s office, demanding the restoration of privileges allowing their children to be enrolled without taking examinations.

Petrit Collaku
BIRN
Pristina

Protesters made a series of attempts to force their way into the rector’s office on Thursday but were held back by police as they staged their second demonstration for the restoration of their children’s privileges.

Shouting “KLA, KLA!”, the protesters led by Kosovo’s War Veterans’ Association also demanded the resignation of rector Ramadan Zejnullahu because he cancelled the privileges agreement.

Police said three officers were injured as they tried to "control the aggressive behaviour" of the protesters.

War veterans’ representative Xhavit Jashari said that Prime Minister Hashim Thaci should intervene to force the rector to restore the privileges.

“We will stand in front of the rector’s office until the prime minister takes the decision,” Jashari told the protesters.

The War Veterans’ Association signed a memorandum of understanding with the university in 2004, which allows the automatic registration of 1,000 children of veterans, invalids and people killed in the conflict.

But Zejnullahu decided to annul the memorandum, saying it was against the university’s rules.

The university argues that it is still helping the children of fighters killed in the 1998-99 conflict by allowing them to register after fulfilling only the minimum academic criteria for entry.