UNMIK Headlines 8 February
Tens of protesters and police injured in yesterday’s protest (dailies)
Around 1,000 citizens are reported to have taken part in yesterday’s protest demanding immediate resignation of University of Pristina (UP) rector, Ibrahim Gashi, on allegations he was illegally promoted. Apart from students, the protest was also attended by representatives of civil society and citizens.
Protesters called on the police to leave the UP compound as they said its forces are legally not allowed to be present inside education institutions. The protesters then tried to forcibly break the police cordon which prompted the latter to use pepper spray.
Officials at the Pristina Hospital said 11 persons sought medical attention of which, 4 police officers, 2 media representatives and 5 protesters. Their injuries are not serious.
At the same time, Kosovo Police said 32 police officers were injured in the protest while 33 protesters were arrested. Papers report that among the people arrested are Ilir Deda, director of the Kosovo-based think tank KIPRED, and Ylli Hoxha, Vetevendosje official. All protesters were issued a 48-hour detention measure.
Organisers announced they will resume protests on Monday.
President Jahjaga comes out in support of the UP rector (Koha Ditore)
President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, has taken a position on recent protests against the rector of University of Pristina (UP) by taking his side. Jahjaga, said her spokesperson Arber Vllahiu, is closely following events in UP and urges all parties to refrain from violence. She said there should be a constructive dialogue that will lead to an acceptable solution for all. However, when asked what that solution would entail, Vllahiu referred to the one that the UP management is proposing. “It would have to be the UP to come up with an acceptable solution within the legal framework”, he said.
Statute for KLA Tribunal drafted (Tribuna)
European Union has prepared the draft for the statute of a tribunal that will tackle allegations of crimes committed in the 1998-2000 period by members of the former Kosovo Liberation Army mentioned in the report of the Council of Europe rapporteur, Dick Marty.
The new tribunal will be established upon the request of the Government of Kosovo but it will require the approval of the Assembly through two-thirds of the votes. This mechanism will be outside Kosovo’s judicial system in order to ensure impartiality and efficiency. The tribunal is described as an “ad-hoc” court and its authority will prevail over Kosovo courts.
Bosnia and Herzegovina planning to lift visas for Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zlatko Lagumdzija, has undertaken an initiative to reverse the Government’s decision for imposing visas on citizens of Kosovo. This is however being opposed by authorities in Republika Srpska who claim that this would imply recognition of Kosovo’s independence. Lagumdzija justified the proposal by saying that Kosovo and Serbia have now improved relations and that the move would not be in conflict to Bosnia’s stance against recognizing Kosovo as an independent country.
Schools in Pristina closed for fear of toxic oil (dailies)
Pristina Mayor, Shpend Ahmeti, ordered the closing of 43 schools in Pristina after fears that the oil used for heating contained levels of sulfur, 600% more than the legal limit. The tests were carried out in three schools and all came back showing extremely high level of sulfur in the heating oil. Ahmeti said schools will remain closed until National Health Institute makes all necessary assessments.