UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 19, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 2,050 new cases, no deaths (media)
• Lajcak and Escobar expected to visit Prishtina and Belgrade (RFE)
• Arrival of new SRSG and Head of UNMIK, Caroline Ziadeh (media)
• From crisis to convergence: A strategy to tackle Balkans instability at its source (media)
• “Kosovo selectively discriminated against for visa liberalization” (media)
• Haradinaj suspects energy situation created to benefit “the energy mafia” (Koha)
• Kosovo in 2022: No end in sight to life in limbo (BIRN)

Serbian Language Media:

• Covid-19: 51 new cases registered in Serbian areas (Radio KIM)
• HLC: Investigations still opened on days of arrests of defendants (Radio KIM)
• Lawyer: Second witness in case of Dusko Arsic interviewed, says he never heard about him (Kosovo-online)
• Petkovic with French Ambassador Koshar on situation in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)
• Epidemiologists warn of rapidly rising number of coronavirus cases (N1)
• Djuric with Escobar: Serbia ready to contribute to progress of region (Kosovo-online)
• Vucic: Peace, stability priceless (Tanjug)
• Erdogan: 2021 was exceptional year for Turkey-Serbia ties (Tanjug)
• Drecun: Kurti wants to interrupt practice of Serbs voting in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 18, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 720 new cases, one death (media)
• What caused the outbreak of COVID this week in Kosovo (Express)
• Pupils, teachers get infected; many schools move to online classes (Indeksonline)
• Negative signals from France for visa liberalization (Express)
• PDK: Increased electricity tariffs, biggest blow to the people (Telegrafi)
• LDK: Government’s inaction forced ERO to increase electricity tariffs (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• Covid-19: 171 new cases registered in Serbian areas (KoSSev)
• EU in Serbia: Higher turnout would be better, but referendum results positive (N1)
• Pristina banned Serbs from voting in referendum; what about April elections? (N1)
• UNS and its branch in Kosovo request police and prosecution to find out who was behind cyber-attack on Kosovo-online portal (media)
• Vucic to pay one-day visit to Turkey (Tanjug)
• Brnabic: Pristina’s decision disgraceful, I will ask EU officials about it (Kosovo-online)
• Andric Rakic: Failure to hold referendum in Kosovo an overture to a ban on elections in April (Danas)
• Escobar and Lajcak to visit Pristina on January 31, Belgrade on February 2 (Kosovo-online)
• Visoki Decani Monastery: 133 attacks against Serbs recorded in Kosovo in 2021 (Kosovo-online)

International:

Kosovo Court Struggles to Contact Ivanovic Murder Trial Witnesses (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

Kosovo families fear losing homes in post-war legal shambles (BIRN)
Kosovo Expects Doubling of Electricity Price as Energy Crisis Bites (Prishtina Insight)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 17, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• "Government, Presidency, Assembly joined in defence of the Constitution" (RTK)
• Kusari-Lila: Assembly's resolution reconfirmed the will of all parties (media)
• PDK's Tahiri: Assembly's session was a mockery of opposition (media)
• AAK's Tahiri: Our position on referendum was principled (media)
• Hyseni on Kosovo Assembly’s referendum resolution: Act of cowardice (media)
• COVID-19: 728 new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Serbian referendum: 30.63 percent of registered voters turned out, 59.71 percent voted pro (RTS)
• Serbian officials’ reactions to Pristina ban on referendum (media)
• Serbs protest against Pristina’s decision to ban referendum in Kosovo (Radio KIM)
• Stano: Serbs in Kosovo should have been enabled to vote in referendum (RTS)
• EU officials welcome outcome of Serbian referendum (N1)
• Vucic: Citizens voted in favour of constitutional amendments (Tanjug)
• Brnabic: Referendum major step in strengthening rule of law (Tanjug)
• “Vucic announces referendum results before election commission” (N1)
• Serbian opposition: low turnout, referendum didn’t go the way ruling authorities expected (RTS)
• Vukadinovic: Referendum results blow to authorities, surprising for opposition (Radio KIM)
• “Unsolved murder of Ivanovic disgrace for Belgrade, Pristina, and international community“ (KoSSev)
• Vucic lights a candle in memory of Oliver Ivanovic (N1)
• Office for KiM: Young man from Banja village attacked (Radio KIM)
• Kosovo-online portal under hackers attack again (Kosovo-online)

International:

• Serbia Votes ‘Yes’ to Judiciary Constitution Changes (Balkan Insight)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 14, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• Quint urges Kosovo Government to allow Serbia’s referendum (media)
• Kosovo institutions issue statement on Serbia's referendum (media)
• Kurti announces extraordinary Assembly session on Saturday (media)
• Kurti's advisor says "established practice" was "bad practice" (Telegrafi)
• Ahmeti: Serbia trying to destabilise Kosovo through referendum request (media)
• LDK: Serbia's referendum in Kosovo is unacceptable (media)
• PDK: Serbia's referendum in Kosovo is unconstitutional (G. Express)
• AAK supports Government's position on Serbia's referendum (Klan)
• GLPS: Serbia's referendum in Kosovo is not a human rights issue (media)
• COVID-19: 585 new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Covid-19: 34 new cases registered in Serbian areas (Radio KIM)
• Quint on referendum: Pristina to allow Serbs to vote in line with established practice (KoSSev)
• Vucic with Serb representatives from Kosovo and Metohija today (RTS)
• Trajkovic: Kurti inspires Vucic (Radio KIM)
• Blinken wrote to Kurti: Restore momentum to dialogue, fulfil Kosovo obligations (Radio KIM)
• Friends of Oliver Ivanovic call on people to light candle in his honor on Sunday (KoSSev)
• Vlajic: Verdict of Todosijevic annulled, new trial in February (Radio KIM)
• Selakovic calls on voters to say yes at referendum (N1)
• “Kosovo special police in Gracanica supported inspection in monitoring implementation of anti-Covid measures” (Radio KIM)
• Orthodox New Year marked (Radio KIM)

International:

• Ex-Prosecutor: Serbia Impeded Probe of Kosovo Serb Politician’s Murder (Balkan Inisght)
• Serbian Minister Denies Briefing Kremlin on Russian Opposition Meeting (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Activists handed over 290,000 signatures against Rio Tinto to Serbian Government (N1)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 13, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Kosovo Serbs vote by mail or at the liaison office (DW Albanian, media)
• Hovenier meets Bislimi: Committed to mutual recognition through dialogue (RTK)
• British Embassy: Announcement of competition for Chief Prosecutor, surprising (RTK)
• Borrell on Serbia’s referendum: Citizens should be allowed to vote (media)
• From today, KSF can embark anywhere in the world (Klan)
• Von Cramon: Shocked that Serbia wiretapped Russian opposition (media)
• Kosovo Albanians Applying for EU Residency Reaches Over 70,000 (Exit)
• COVID-19: 427 new cases, two deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Covid-19: 138 new cases registered in Serbian areas, no deaths (KoSSev)
• Borrell spoke with Vucic on referendum, says people should be able to vote (B92)
• “REC ready for referendum in KiM, waiting for response of those in charge” (KoSSev)
• Serbian List, Municipality condemn police action in Gracanica, urge international community to react (Kosovo-online)
• Kosovo special police units raided Gracanica municipal building (Radio KIM)
• Gracanica: Organized transport for celebration cancelled because of special police action (Radio KIM)
• OSCE Mission confirmed it received Belgrade’s request regarding referendum (KoSSev)
• Odalovic: Voting took place during times of Haradinaj and Thaci (Radio KIM)
• “3.000 people from Serbia filed lawsuits against NATO” (B92)
• Threatening leaflet posted at church gate in Vitomirica village (Kosovo-online)
• Oliver Ivanovic’s family says investigation into his murder obstructed (N1)