Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 368 new cases, four deaths (media)
• EP criticizes Kosovo for not fighting corruption, expresses concern over closure of Task Force (Koha)
• Hoti on assault on Rasic’s son: Violence is unacceptable (media)
• Prosecutor’s office begins investigations about attack on Rasic’s son (media)
• Rasic: Attack on my son was an attempted murder (Prishtina Insight)
• Abbott: Some politicians have incited hatred and fear within communities (Koha)
• Kurti asks privatisation agency not to open new waves of privatisation (media)
• EP Foreign Affairs Committee to vote Kosovo report (Express)
• Suspicions of vote manipulation by Serbia, dozens of NGOs demand reaction of local and international institutions (Kallxo)

Serbian Language Media:

• 78 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (KoSSev)
• 14 newly infected in Gracanica (Kosovo Online)
• Serbian List and Office for KiM: Fight has nothing to do with politics (Radio KIM)
• Suspects for beating Nikola Rasic assigned detention (Radio KIM)
• Nenad Rasic believes that the attack on his son has a political background (N1)
• Rakic: Son of Nenad Rasic injured in “a private conflict” between young men (N1)
• Parents of detained young men: The fight was caused by Nikola Rasic (KiM radio)
• Sava Janjic: Dialogue with Serbs must go through Belgrade (Kosovo-online)

International:

• The world faces a pandemic of human rights abuses in the wake of Covid-19 (The Guardian)
• Small hydropower plant owner sues activist Shpresa Loshaj in Kosovo* for defamation (balkangreenenergynews.com)
• In Hostile Serbian Parliament, MP Fights for Rights of ‘Enemy’ Albanians (Balkan Insight)
• S. Development Bank Says It's Committed To Balkans Amid Talk Of Serbian Office Closure (RFE)
• North Macedonia Murder Retrial Convicts Ethnic Albanians of Terrorism (Balkan Insight)

 

 

Albanian Language Media  

 

COVID-19: 368 new cases, four deaths (media)

368 new cases of COVID-19 and four deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 241 persons have recovered from the virus during this time. There are 6,829 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

EP criticizes Kosovo for not fighting corruption, expresses concern over closure of Task Force (Koha)

Many setbacks in the fight against corruption in Kosovo have appeared in the draft report of the European Parliament for Kosovo, which is under discussion in the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The fight against corruption is most noticeable in this report, while emphasizing the great concern of the EP for the termination of the Task Force within the Kosovo Police for the fight against corruption.

While welcoming Kosovo's commitment to advancing towards Europe in this report Kosovo is criticized for the little progress made in implementing the European Reform Agenda. Concerns have also been expressed about the closure of the Ministry of Integration and the Government of Kosovo has been asked to ensure that the new structure guarantees competence and responsibility within the coordination of the integration process.

The legal framework for fighting corruption was also welcomed, however implementation delays were encountered. Kosovo authorities have been asked to step up the fight against corruption to ensure the well-being of citizens. As far as the justice system is concerned, more independence and stopping of interference in high-profile cases was requested. Greater war has been demanded in the confiscation of illegally acquired property.

The frequent lack of a quorum in the Kosovo Assembly has been another criticism in this report.

Another concern is the high air pollution.

The Report on Kosovo welcomed the abolition of tariffs on Serbian goods and those coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and praised the Agreement on Economic Normalization between Kosovo and Serbia signed in September in Washington.

Hoti on assault on Rasic’s son: Violence is unacceptable (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister, Avdullah Hoti, took to Facebook today to condemn the assault on the son of Kosovo Serb political representative Nenad Rasic. “Violence is unacceptable and condemnable. The assault on Nikola Rasic, the son of Nenad Rasic, was an unacceptable act and it should be treated and investigated by the competent authorities, while the perpetrators of this act must face the force of law,” Hoti said.

Prosecutor’s office begins investigations about attack on Rasic’s son (media)

Nikola, the son of a Serbian politician in Kosovo, Nenad Rasic, was attacked on Monday by about 30 people, while he was leaving school in the village of Llapnasella in the municipality of Gracanica.

Kosovo police have arrested eight people, suspected to have been engaged on the attack on the son of the former Serbian minister in the government of Kosovo.

The suspects were detained for 48 hours by the decision of the prosecutor. The Basic Prosecution in Prishtina has started an investigation into this incident.

Spokesperson of the Basic Prosecution of Prishtina, Laureta Ulaj, told Gazeta Express that the eight suspects continue to be in custody, and it is expected that the prosecutor of the case will make a request for detention on remand.

"The Basic Prosecution of Prishtina has launched investigations into the case. Yesterday, with the decision of the prosecutor, the suspects were detained for 48 hours. We are awaiting a criminal report from the Kosovo Police. The prosecutor of the case will then file a request for detention on remand. The case was initiated as "Participation in beatings".

Rasic: Attack on my son was an attempted murder (Prishtina Insight)

Kosovo Serb politician Nenad Rasic has labelled a vicious assault involving his son as politically motivated and criticised Kosovo institutions for failing to provide protection.

In an interview for BIRN, Kosovo Serb politician Nenad Rasic stated that the attack on his son in Lapnasello in Gracanica on Monday was politically motivated.

“This was not a fight between adolescents but an attempted murder,” he said, adding that his son was released from hospital but would need to visit the dentist. “I should be thankful that there were no more bigger consequences than this.”

According to Kosovo Police, eight people have been arrested following the incident involving 18-year-old Nikolla Rasic, which his father told BIRN involved around 30 assailants and included the use of brass knuckles and hammers.

Nenad Rasic, who has been a vocal critic of the Belgrade-backed Kosovo Serb party Srpska Lista, said that the price he is paying for being involved in politics is higher than he imagined.

“Look, I accepted paying a price for the ideology that I have, but really never expected that my son, or our children, should also pay that same price,” he told BIRN.

The former labour minister also stated his disappointment in Kosovo institutions for failing to bring individuals that have continually applied political pressure on opponents of Srpska Lista before justice. “I have survived this for the last eight years, but despite all the declarations to the police and the prosecution, nothing has been achieved,” he said.

Prior to the February 14 parliamentary elections, Rasic told Prishtina Insight that Kosovo’s security institutions were not capable of providing conditions for secure elections in Serb-majority municipalities and outlined some of the intimidation tactics deployed by Srpska Lista.

The assault on his son has been widely condemned by both Kosovo politicians and representatives of the international community. Acting Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani described it as “an act against democracy and freedom of the individual,” and called on law enforcement institutions to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.

Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti also expressed his regret over the assault. “It seems that this bandit crime against Nikola Rasic is organized, and relates to his parents, who did not break or submit to the pressure and threats of Serbia,” he said.

Meanwhile, the British Ambassador to Kosovo Nicholas Abbott called the attack “sickening, whatever may be the motivation,” while Nicola Orlando, the Italian Ambassador to Kosovo, described the assault as “politically motivated aggression” and “an attack on democracy itself.”

Rasic told BIRN that the intimidation he has received over the years has often made him think of abandoning politics. “Many times I thought of leaving politics and I don’t know where the limit is,” he said. “Should anyone lose their children over it?”

Abbott: Some politicians have incited hatred and fear within communities (Koha)

The UK Ambassador to Kosovo, Nicholas Abbott has reacted once again to the physical attack on the son of the politician Nenad Rasic.

Through a Facebook post he said that some politicians have induced a culture of hatred and fear within and across different communities.

"Yesterday's senseless attack on Nenad Rasic's son was perceived as a political act. The British Embassy and other international partners have called for a calmer, more reasonable, less personal political debate. Some politicians have incited a culture of hatred and fear, fog and betrayal, within and across different communities," he wrote.

Abbott called again for this practice to stop.

He added that the political class and the media should reflect, because according to him, allowing such culture to develop, put people at risk.

Kurti asks privatisation agency not to open new waves of privatisation (media)

Vetevendosje Movement (VV) leader and candidate for Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, called on the Privatisation Agency of Kosovo today not to start any wave of privatisation or liquidation. Kurti said Vetevendosje’s government program foresees the review of the privatisation process and a different treatment of public and state properties. He said he has received information that PAK is planning to initiate a new wave of liquidation. 

“I am now informed that the totally illegitimate board of PAK is trying to take advantage of the institutional vacuum by trying to initiate a new wave of liquidation … The calls of the board for the alleged independence of the institution and the country’s need for a faster privatisation in order to generate additional revenue in the state budget, further confirm our concern for abuses in this institution. I find it very important to publicly address the PAK board with the request to not challenge the institutional mechanisms and not to try to initiate new waves of privatisation or liquidation with the decisions in force. I inform you that one of the main pillars of our government program is the fight against corruption and organised crime. Consequently, within this framework we will address the eventual challenge from the PAK board toward the government and assembly from the February 14 elections,” Kurti said.

EP Foreign Affairs Committee to vote Kosovo report (Express)

Member of the European Parliament (EP), Lukas Mandel, has announced that the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs is expected to vote today on a report on Kosovo, focusing on visa liberalisation and dialogue with Serbia, Gazeta Express reports.

“Today, we vote in the EP Foreign Affairs Committee on the European parliament the Kosovo report, which I have negotiated on behalf of the European People’s Party (EPP) Group. We’ve included strong messages on visa liberalisation, recognition, the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue & perspectives for the youth in digitalization and other fields,” Mandl wrote on Twitter.

Kosovo has for long now attempted to reach a visa liberalisation agreement with the European Union, so its citizens would be eligible to move freely within EU countries. Despite the fact that the EU Commission and EU Parliament confirmed that Kosovo has met all visa liberalisation criteria the process has not been finished yet.

Suspicions of vote manipulation by Serbia, dozens of NGOs demand reaction of local and international institutions (Kallxo)

Civil Society Organizations in Kosovo through a joint response have asked local and international political institutions to react to allegations of vote rigging for reserved seats of the Bosniak and Roma communities. "We, civil society organizations in Kosovo, express Our concern about the lack of response, both from local and international factors, to the flagrant violation of the political rights of the Bosniak and Roma communities in Kosovo, denying them the right to representation guaranteed and reserved by the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo," it is said in their announcement.

Further, these organizations have said that Serbia has interfered in the February 14 elections in Kosovo by violating the rights of the people.

"Knowing the open connection with the institutions of Serbia of the entity that is suspected of having made this orchestration, it can be said without any hesitation that this is the intervention of another state in the elections of Kosovo. In similar circumstances, when other states have interfered in the elections of EU member states or the U.S., there have been multi-layered institutional investigations and public condemnation of the interference. There is only silence in Kosovo" the announcement continues.

 

 

Serbian Language Media

 

78 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (KoSSev)

Out of 191 tested samples, 78 were positive on Covid-19 in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced, KoSSev portal reports.

Out of 78 newly registered cases 58 were registered in northern Kosovo and 20 in central Kosovo.

The breakdown of the cases is as follows: 33 in Mitrovica North, 17 in Zvecan, ten in Gnjilane, four each in Leposavic and Zubin Potok, three each in Gracanica and Strpce and two each in Kamenica and Priluzje.

At the same time 26 persons have completed a two-week isolation period, and the number of active cases in the Serb-populated areas is 416.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a total of 107 persons have died in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo due to Covid-19 related complications. 

14 newly infected in Gracanica (Kosovo Online)

In the territory of the municipality of Gracanica, 14 cases with Covid-19 were confirmed, while 28 patients are in hospital, the Gracanica Crisis Staff announced today.

The Crisis Staff reminded the citizens that the measures in force must be respected, because any irresponsible behavior leads to an increase in the number of patients.

"We must avoid gatherings, keep our distance and wear masks. We expect all of us to act carefully and responsibly," the municipal Crisis Staff appealed.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 452 people have been infected with the virus in the territory of Gracanica municipality, reported Kosovo Online.

Serbian List and Office for KiM: Fight has nothing to do with politics (Radio KIM)

Although they initially condemned beating of 18-year old Nikola Rasic, son of Kosovo Serb politician Nenad Rasic, representatives of the Serbian List and the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, soon issued a new press statement in which they said that Nenad Rasic and Albin Kurti attempt to misuse this event for political purposes, Radio KIM reports.

Serbian List said “Nikola Rasic sustained injuries in a fight that was arranged in advance and organized among the two groups of youngsters”, among whom Nikola was also.

“This fight and injuries Nikola sustained have nothing to do with politics and Serbian List, no matter how hard Kurti and Rasic try to present it that way and score some political points (…)”, Serbian List said.

Office for Kosovo and Metohija said it was about “synchronized and orchestrated attempts by Pristina to present an attack in which Nikola Rasic was injured as a sort of an alleged political reckoning with his father, Nenad Rasic”, adding “it was the most ordinary spin and misuse of children for political purposes”.

The Office added that the boy, “Nikola Rasic was unfortunately injured in an earlier arranged school fight, which can be proved by video recordings that appeared in all Albanian media”. The Office also termed the statement of leader of LVV Albin Kurti that Nikola Rasic was beaten up “as a victim of his father’s policy who didn’t want to bow down to Belgrade” as “unfounded, dangerous and false accusations”.

Radio KIM recalled that a number of Albanian, Serbian and diplomatic representatives condemned the beating of Nikola Rasic, including Kosovo acting president Vjosa Osamni, UK Ambassador in Pristina Nicolas Abbott, Gracanica mayor Srdjan Popovic, Civic Initiative SDP, Party of Kosovo Serbs (PKS), Association of Montenegrins in Kosovo “Lovcen”, Visoki Decani Monastery Abbot Father Sava Janjic and many other. 

Suspects for beating Nikola Rasic assigned detention (Radio KIM)

Basic Prosecution in Pristina assigned two-day detention to eight persons suspected of beating up Nikola Rasic, a final year student of the Gymnasium in Laplje Selo yesterday, Radio KIM reports.

Detention has been assigned to C.Z., B.Z, M.R., D.N., M.J., D.T., L.K., and one more person who is a juvenile. According to the prosecution Nikola Rasic sustained serious bodily injuries.  

Nenad Rasic believes that the attack on his son has a political background (N1)

Kosovo police arrested eight people last night on suspicion of beating the eighteen-year-old son of a Serbian politician from Kosovo, Nenad Rasic. Rasic told broadcaster N1 that there are elements of political background, adding that he does not want to prejudge anything.

Nenad Rasic told N1 that his son was beaten by more than 30 people with iron bars and a hammer, and that he suffered severe injuries to his face and head, as well as that his front teeth were broken.

My son came out of school with his friends and between 30 and 50 of them were waiting for him. From my point of view, they were children, and they were armed with hammers, boxers and knives, said Rasic.

He states that one of them published two posts on social networks the day before - one, as he states, was "whoever survives tomorrow, will talk", and the other is "tomorrow is the slaughter of Shiptars". "That's the same one who came to my son first and told him - what do you want now, Shiptar. And he attacked him immediately. I do not prejudge that it is an organized group - that someone organized them, or it is a self organized group, I do not want to prejudge," he says. 

But, as he says, everything that happened - both the posts and the day of the attack - "has a political background".

In the previous days, Rasic found himself the target of criticism from the representatives of the Serbian List. As he said to N1, they accused him of flattering Albanians before the elections and trying to destroy the Serbian List.

"Let me remind you, personally against me, and Ms. Trajkovic, for many months now, a chase has been going on, starting with the banal insult on Facebook, which I ignore, and the statement of officials which have weight - who say that we are traitors… There is room for me to doubt that it can be political, but I do not prejudge, it is up to the authorities to investigate," said Rasic.

He stated that because of his ideology, he pays the price every day, but that he did not expect that his children would pay it as well. "I see all the elements that this is all directed not against my son, but against me, and my son is a collateral damage, so that I, under the quotation marks, would come to my senses," he concluded.

Rakic: Son of Nenad Rasic injured in “a private conflict” between young men (N1)

President of Serbian List, Goran Rakic assessed today that a fight between two groups of young men in which several of them got injured, including the son of Nenad Rasic, was a private conflict between these young men and absolutely had nothing to do with the political engagement of his father, N1 reports.

In a statement issued today, Rakic said that everybody in Gracanica knows that, also the President of the European Serb Movement Rada Trajkovic and politician Nenad Rasic.

In a statement Rakic linked Rada Trajkovic and Nenad Rasic with leader of the Self-determination Movement Albin Kurti terming him as “their political mentor”.

Rakic also said they misused the incident and tried by using lies to shake the unity of the Serbian people and earn positions for themselves under “Kurti’s patronage” presenting the incident as political.  

“Kurti is aware he won’t be able to fulfill the promises he made during the campaign as by populism one can’t advance the life of the citizens, nor resolve the problems. That is why he would continue exerting pressure on the Serbian people and we must be aware of our responsibility and must not allow ourselves to be provoked”, Rakic added in a statement. 

Parents of detained young men: The fight was caused by Nikola Rasic (KiM radio)

The parents of the young men who were detained because of the fight in Laplje Selo, not far from the school, claim that the incident was caused by Nikola Rasic, and that the whole case got a political connotation, reports KiM radio.

After the fight in which about thirty young men, both high school students and seniors, took part, the pupils Nenad Rasic and Ilija Markovic sustained serious injuries.  As KiM radio reports, both were given medical help. After the incident, eight young men were detained, including one minor.

Students Marko Ristic and Lazar Karadzic are in custody in Pristina. Their parents say that they have not been in contact with them since yesterday and that they are worried what will happen after the 48-hour detention expires.

"He (Lazar) was first characterized as a witness. He found himself there, he was separating them, and now he is accused of being a participant in the fight and he was arrested. He is in custody in Pristina. This has gone along the political line and it is abnormal. The one who accuses the children of being guilty is the main initiator of that incident. Mr. Rasic's son, he is the initiator. He picked up the children from Dobrotin, brought them there and that's how the mass fight happened," claims Momir Karadzic.

Slavisa Ristic's son, Marko, is also in custody in Pristina.

"I do not support violence, especially not school violence, but this has gone so far. Mr. Rasic wanted to abuse this for some political points. There was a fight and it lasted a minute or two. I could not talk to my son, I could not get in touch, they picked him up, he was detained, and I think he is in Pristina. We are waiting for that police detention of 48 hours to expire," he said.

Ristic claims that, after the incident in which his son participated, Nenad Rasic threatened him.

"Mr. Rasic came to my house and went directly from the courtyard to the house to threaten me. I think it is violence too. He told me: "You will remember who I am," Ristic states and adds that he threatened him with his finger.

"Should I now be afraid that he will do something to my son?" Ristic wonders.

One of the participants in the fight, Ilija Markovic, a pupil of the 3rd grade of the High School of Economics, is in hospital for a nose injury. His father Miodrag says that young men from Dobrotin came to Laplje Selo to beat high school pupils from this place. He also claims that Nenad Rasic's son caused a fight.

"I don't know if Nenad Rasic's son is more important than my son? Why was his son not arrested because he caused the incident, if other children have already been arrested? It was a fight like all the school fights that happen, but this has now been raised to a much higher level, politically. Politics has absolutely nothing to do with this, it is only because that boy is the son of Nenad Rasic. If there were any other children in question, there would be none of this. Unfortunately, but it is so. Whether we have failed as parents or the institutions; education, police and the whole society have failed, it is up to us to put our finger on our foreheads and think about all that," says Miodrag Markovic.

Although the fight took place in front of the school yard, the director of the Gymnasium in Laplje Selo, Dejan Denic, says that he was not familiar with what was happening outside. He adds that he learned from the students that the fight broke out "for personal reasons".

"Two groups of boys had a showdown for their personal reasons. According to the information I have from my students, I cannot say that more of our students participated in the fight. There were other children there who finished school classes," Denic said in a telephone statement for RTV Kim.

He stated that the case is now under the jurisdiction of the police, and that the school employees oversee only what is happening inside the school yard.

Sava Janjic: Dialogue with Serbs must go through Belgrade (Kosovo-online)

Abbot of Visoki Decani Monastery Father Sava Janjic said no one could break the ties of Serbs from Kosovo with mother Serbia, adding Serbs do not accept being turned into a national minority without collective political rights and special protection of spiritual and cultural heritage, Kosovo-online portal reports.

“Of course Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija should be asked about their living conditions, as in fact we live here with others, but if someone thinks of cutting off the ties of Serbs with their own state of Serbia, regardless of who is in power currently, I think that one would not have relevant interlocutors”, Father Sava wrote on Twitter.

He underlined that “Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija do not agree to being turned into an amorphous national minority without collective political rights and special protection of spiritual and cultural heritage. Without that we would be miserably manipulated by Kosovo Albanian politicians. That is why any dialogue must go through Belgrade”, Father Sava added.

He recalled that Raska-Prizren Eparchy in Kosovo is part of the Serbian Orthodox Church and that Pec Patriarchate is a seat of Pec Archbishop and Serbian Patriarch.

“Attempts to establish relations with the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija separate from Serbia have no support from the people”, Abbot Janjic said.

 

 

International

 

The world faces a pandemic of human rights abuses in the wake of Covid-19 (The Guardian)

By António Guterres, U.N. Secretary-General 

The virus has been used as a pretext in many countries to crush dissent, criminalise freedoms and silence reporting

From the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic almost one year ago, it was clear that our world faced far more than a public health emergency. The biggest international crisis in generations quickly morphed into an economic and social crisis. One year on, another stark fact is tragically evident: our world is facing a pandemic of human rights abuses.

Covid-19 has deepened preexisting divides, vulnerabilities and inequalities, and opened up new fractures, including faultlines in human rights. The pandemic has revealed the interconnectedness of our human family – and of the full spectrum of human rights: civil, cultural, economic, political and social. When any one of these rights is under attack, others are at risk.

The virus has thrived because poverty, discrimination, the destruction of our natural environment and other human rights failures have created enormous fragilities in our societies. The lives of hundreds of millions of families have been turned upside down – with lost jobs, crushing debt and steep falls in income.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3kfGONn

Small hydropower plant owner sues activist Shpresa Loshaj in Kosovo* for defamation (balkangreenenergynews.com)

Shpresa Loshaj from the Pishtarët movement said she would respond to a lawsuit by KelKos, which demanded EUR 100,000 for defamation after she pointed to environmental degradation from its projects in Kosovo*. The subsidiary of Kelag-Kärntner Elektrizitäts operates four small hydropower plants.

There is plenty of evidence in videos and photos as well as in witness accounts to show the destruction that KelKos caused by building its controversial small hydropower plants, Shpresa Loshaj told Balkan Green Energy News after the company went to court over her allegations. She is pictured here at Zalli i Rupës, at a location where the firm dug gravel several years ago.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3aHq7r3

In Hostile Serbian Parliament, MP Fights for Rights of ‘Enemy’ Albanians (Balkan Insight)

From education to investment, erased addresses and negative stereotypes, ethnic Albanians still face widespread discrimination in Serbia, says MP Shaip Kamberi.

As a political representative of ethnic Albanians in Serbia, Shaip Kamberi never had it easy.

It got a whole lot harder, however, when an election last year yielded a parliament dominated by the party of President Aleksandar Vucic and its allies, leaving Kamberi and his five Albanian and Bosniaks colleagues as the only opposition MPs in the 250-seat assembly.

They face a “hostile” atmosphere, he told BIRN in a written interview.

“Participation in the work of legislative institutions and the opportunity to raise issues that affect our lives is good, even in a Serbia like this which sees Albanians only as enemies and representatives of a lower people,” said Kamberi, the 56 year-old leader of the Party for Democratic Action, PDD.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3un5BUt

U.S. Development Bank Says It's Committed To Balkans Amid Talk Of Serbian Office Closure (RFE)

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. development bank has said it remains committed to supporting private investment in the Balkans amid talk that officials have discussed closing its Serbian office.

David Marchick, chief operating officer of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), told RFE/RL in a statement on February 19 that the bank was dedicated to investing in the region -- including in critical infrastructure and renewable energy -- in light of efforts by China and Russia to gain influence in the region.

“We are eager to build on the DFC’s recently renewed Investment Incentive Agreements with Kosovo and Serbia, which we remain committed to, and continue our enhanced focus that began last year with the establishment of a regional DFC presence based out of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade,” he said in the statement.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3qIi7f0

North Macedonia Murder Retrial Convicts Ethnic Albanians of Terrorism (Balkan Insight)

Five ethnic Albanians were convicted of the 2012 killings of five ethnic Macedonians in Skopje after a high-profile retrial in a case that has sparked ethnic tensions in the country.

Skopje Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced Agim Ismailovic, Afrim Ismailovic and Alil Demiri to life in prison, finding them guilty of terrorism for committing the murders of five ethnic Macedonians – a crime that shook the nation in 2012 and has continued to cause inter-ethnic tensions and speculation about political meddling.

Only Agim Ismailovic was in the courtroom to hear the retrial verdict, as the two others were tried in absentia, and are believed to be hiding in Kosovo.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3kfBr0M