UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, November 20, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani dissolves Assembly, new elections on December 28 (media)
Kurti to take part in EU Growth Plan Summit in Tirana (media)
Kosovo acting state chief prosecutor dismissed from duty (media)
Qelaj: I wasn’t allowed to take notes at meeting with Thaci and others (Koha)
Shelter for domestic violence victims in Mitrovica North police station (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Vjosa Osmani dissolves Assembly (media)
Clark said nothing new in The Hague - will his name alone be enough to secure Thaçi’s acquittal? (Kosovo Online)
President of Bujanovac municipality: “There was no shooting, our hunters had a friendly meeting with Serbian Army” (Jugpres, Danas)
Vucic: Everyone from Western Balkans belongs in EU, all should join together (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

"Nationalist Transitional Justice Strategy in Kosovo" (KiM radio)

International:

Kosovo faces snap elections after second failure to elect govt (BIRN)
Serbia: Election of REM Council undermines democratic principles (EFJ)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani dissolves Assembly, new elections on December 28 (media)

All news websites report that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani signed today the decision to dissolve the Kosovo Assembly, one day after the MPs failed for the second time to elect a new government. “In line with the Constitution of Kosovo and the legislation in force, as well as after receiving the decision of the Kosovo Assembly about the failure to create a government even by the second designate, the President of the Republic of Kosovo has dissolved today the ninth legislative of the Republic of Kosovo,” a statement issued by Osmani’s office notes.

Osmani later told a press conference that she has decided for new parliamentary elections to be held on December 28. “December 21 and 28 are the possible dates according to the Constitution. Eight parties proposed December 28, five parties opted for December 21, while three parties said they would prefer any date. I assessed that December 28 is the only possible date because this date too will present challenges for the Central Election Commission,” she said.

Osmani also said that before signing the decision to dissolve the Assembly, she made a final attempt for the parties to return to the Assembly “and to adopt budget extensions in order for the wages of our citizens and the functioning of our state is not blocked and to have a budget until March. Secondly, there was also a presidential package of five international agreements in the amount of €1 billion and other important issues for which I hoped there would be political readiness … In the absence of political readiness, there was no other solution but to sign the decree for dissolution. It is unfortunate that an agreement was not reached”.

Kurti to take part in EU Growth Plan Summit in Tirana (media)

Several news websites report that Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti will take part in the EU Growth Plan Summit in Tirana, Albania, on Friday. Kurti’s office said that he will attend the leaders’ dinner as part of the summit.

Kosovo acting state chief prosecutor dismissed from duty (media)

Most news websites report that the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council has decided today to dismiss Besim Kelmendi from the post of acting State Chief Prosecutor. Kelmendi told Betimi per Drejtesi news website that he learned from the media about his dismissal. “I was informed through the media about my dismissal. It is an arbitrary and illegitimate decision because it is well known that there was no quorum at the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council. As soon as I receive the decision, I will certainly send it to court,” he said. The Kosovo Law Institute said in a statement that the decision to dismiss Kelmendi was “illegitimate, arbitrary and abusive” because there was a lack of quorum.

Kelmendi’s dismissal comes one day after he was interviewed by the Special Prosecution as a witness about the massacre in Recak. 45 Kosovo Albanians were massacred by Serbian forces in the village of Recak in January 1999. Kelmendi refuted allegations that he was an associate of the Serbian judge Danica Marinkovic who worked on the Recak massacre and who denied that it was a massacre. Kelmendi told reporters in Pristina on Wednesday that during the war in Kosovo he worked at the District Court in Pristina and that he used his position to give documents to the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms and to the media for reporting on crimes that were committed by Serbian forces.

Qelaj: I wasn’t allowed to take notes at meeting with Thaci and others (Koha)

Kosovo Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj told reporters today he visited the former KLA leaders at the Specialist Chambers in the Hague under full monitoring. He said he was not allowed to take notes at the meeting and argued that this seriously violates the independence and right of the Ombudsperson as a constitutional institution for the defense of human rights. He said he would raise this concern with international mechanisms. “During my visit, I held a meeting with Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi. What I can say is that the whole visit and meetings were under full monitoring and I was not allowed to take notes and in conditions that I believe seriously violate the independence and the right of the Ombudsperson as a mechanism to prevent torture and as a constitutional institution for the defense of human rights to have unobstructed approach to communication with persons in detention. I will raise this concern with international courts and mechanisms. During this mandate, this is the first time that I am forced to hold a conversation with a defendant in this way and this is in contravention with the European Court of Human Rights,” Qelaj said.

Shelter for domestic violence victims in Mitrovica North police station (media)

Several news websites report that a so-called “Friendly Room” has been inaugurated at the Mitrovica North police station for victims of domestic violence, children, minors and women. In the “Friendly Room”, which was donated by KFOR, victims will be able to be accommodated in a warm environment, with books, toys and paintings. The police station commander said that “the parties involved in a case will be treated by domestic violence investigators” and that “with the accommodation there, they will not experience any stress during the treatment of the case”.

Serbian Language Media

Vjosa Osmani dismissed Assembly (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has dismissed the assembly, reports Serbian media, citing Albanian-language media reports. She is expected to set a date for early parliamentary elections soon.

The reports say that December 21 and 28 are mentioned as preferred dates for new elections.

Clark said nothing new in The Hague - will his name alone be enough to secure Thaçi’s acquittal? (Kosovo Online)

With the testimony of Wesley Clark, both the defence and the prosecution have exhausted all witnesses. The time has now come for closing arguments and, as widely expected, for the first-instance judgments in the case against the former KLA leaders before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. But was the former American general the “key witness” whose testimony helped Thaci and the others take a step toward an acquittal? Interlocutors for Kosovo Online believe that Clark merely continued in the same direction as all previous defence witnesses.

In the trial of the former KLA leaders, the defence did not dispute that hundreds of Serbs - but also Albanians, Roma, and others - had been killed in Kosovo by KLA fighters. Instead, the defence strategy was based on the argument that these were acts of revenge rather than a joint criminal enterprise, and that Hashim Thaci and the other accused neither ordered such acts nor had the ability to control the situation.

Amer Alija, a lawyer from the Kosovo Humanitarian Law Center, told Kosovo Online that Wesley Clark’s testimony followed that same line.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/yYKPq

President of Bujanovic municipality: There was no shooting, our hunters had a friendly meeting with the Serbian Army (Jugpres, Danas)

Danas portal reported today that the president of Bujanovac municipality, Arber Pajaziti, wrote on his Facebook account that there was no incident with the army of the village of Zarbince in that municipality, nor did anyone shoot at an army patrol.

"The reported incident on Sunday in the area of Zarbica caused unnecessary concern in the public. I want to be clear: our hunters were in that area completely regularly, with hunting permits and registered weapons. They talked and stayed with members of the Serbian Armed Forces, a meeting which, according to them, was friendly and not at all unusual", Pajaziti wrote.

"As far as I know so far, there is no element that indicates any evil intention of the hunters. The shots that were heard were part of the hunt, as happened every week in that area. For this reason, I am completely convinced that these people are not guilty and cannot pose a danger to anyone", Pajaziti added.

According to him, the descriptions of some media that talk about "attacking the army" or fleeing in "six jeeps to Kosovo" are scenarios that do not correspond to reality and only increase artificial tensions. Even the Kosovo authorities denied that there was any ''incident on their territory". He indicates that "on the other hand, it is important that state institutions conduct a fair, impartial and transparent investigation''. ''I expect the police and the military to present official information that will fully clarify what happened, leaving no room for false interpretations or attempts to stage situations that harm our citizens. Bujanovac is a municipality where people live in peace and respect the law".

Danas recalled that some Belgrade media announced that allegedly ''masked Albanians shot at members of the army in the Land Security Zone and that they fled to Kosovo with six jeeps''. The Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces have not yet issued any statement that the alleged incident took place, nor have they reacted in any way, even four days after the news broke out. Everything remained in the realm of media speculation.

Vucic: Everyone from Western Balkans belongs in EU, all should join together (Kosovo Online)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today that everyone from the Western Balkans belongs in the European Union and that all should join it together. Speaking at the regional UK–Western Balkans business conference “Building Futures” in Belgrade, Vucic said it is important for everyone to understand that a united Balkans can exist within the EU framework, Kosovo Online portal reported.

"I believe that everyone from the Western Balkans belongs in the EU, that we should all join the Union together. We should have open borders, because in that way we will overcome all political borders. It is extremely important that we all be together in the EU and understand that a united Balkans can exist within the framework of the Union, as well as that we can contribute the most when we work together", the Serbian President stressed.

He noted that Serbia is ready to participate in all projects that would contribute to better regional connectivity. "You know how much energy I have invested in building infrastructure, how much we wanted to connect with everyone in the region, to create a unified system of infrastructural communication, to ensure a better life for people across the entire region. We have succeeded in some things, in many we have not. There were always some political obstacles", Vucic said.

Opinion

"Nationalist Transitional Justice Strategy in Kosovo" (KiM radio)

The strategy for transitional justice adopted last year by Kosovo Government has caused significant reactions in a part of Serbian civil society, with statements saying that ''it was nationalistic'', adding its goal is to deal exclusively with crimes committed against Albanians during the conflict, excluding other communities, in particular the Serbian one, reported KiM radio today.

"This strategy should be called by its own name. The name would be: Nationalist Strategy for Transitional Justice. The two simply do not go together", Milica Radovanovic from the New Social Initiative (NSI) told KiM Radio podcast.

The new social initiative is the only Serbian non-governmental organization that participated in the development of this strategy, and previously it was part of the Working Group for its preparation for four years. During that period, many meetings and focus groups were held with representatives of institutions, civil society, war victims and families of missing persons from non-majority communities. However, NSI says that their participation was misused.

"Through our work in this Working Group, we gave our suggestions, our proposals, as well as the comments and views of the people with whom we held consultations. None of that was considered. In the end, when the strategy was published, it was said that members of non-majority communities were involved in that process", said Radovanovic.

The principles referred to in the Transitional Justice Strategy were disputed, she says - the principles of non-discrimination, focus on victims, inclusion. "None of that is reflected in that strategy, but that strategy is a mockery of all those principles it refers to", she pointed out.

What does the Transitional Justice Strategy mean?

The strategy aims to carefully address the crimes committed during the conflict and the needs of victims that have emerged in the 24 years since its end. It is an institutional plan for dealing with the past, ensuring justice for the victims of the 1998-1999 war, and preventing the repetition of crimes. The document covers the period from 1989 to 2000, and its aim is: to establish the truth about war crimes; ensure justice through investigations and trials; provide reparations and support to victims; guarantee that the crimes will not be repeated.

Radovanovic said that the NSI's proposal was to include the period after the end of the conflict, since crimes against Serbs were recorded then, including the "March pogrom", until 2008. Although the proposal was adopted, it was not included in the strategy itself.

"The war did not end - there is no conflict, but it is fought by other means"

Lawyer Dejan A. Vasic, the defense attorney for the accused for war crimes committed against Albanians, says that Kosovo is in a state of stagnation, not transition, and that "the war has never stopped."

Radovanovic emphasized that not only did it not deal with Serbs and other peoples in Kosovo, the strategy, she said, did not deal with Albanians who were victims of the KLA. "This strategy is not inclusive towards any people. This strategy focuses only on the crimes committed by members of the Serbian armed forces against the Albanian population", she said.

Trials against Serbs suspected of war crimes

In Kosovo, there are dozens of trials against those suspected of war crimes against Albanians, mostly Serbs. Several indictments were filed in absentia, and some court proceedings were initiated. In recent years, several Serbs have been sentenced to several years in prison for war crimes, recalled KiM radio.

"Without evidence that could fully confirm the accusations made against them. The trend is for Serbs to be prosecuted for war crimes and for them to be sentenced to high prison sentences. Although, I am convinced, these people are largely not guilty of what they were accused of and what they were convicted of", he stated.

Lawyer Vasic also commented on the arrests of Serbs who are still living in Kosovo 25 years after the war and who were available to the police and judicial authorities all the time. He also mentioned cases of indictments against persons who have legal-property disputes. He said that "this war has never stopped" is also confirmed by the fact that "someone neither guilty nor liable" was accused or condemned in order to be part of “some statistics that someone needed politically”.

Some criminals, other victims

Milica Radovanovic added that everything pointed to ''the fact that the Strategy on Transitional Justice adopted by the Government of Kosovo intends to portray one side as a criminal and the other as a victim''.

"We see who is considered a victim, who is considered guilty and responsible. It is not only a matter of this document, but we also have the Institute for War Crimes. Based on everything we know about its work, it deals exclusively with crimes committed against members of the Albanian community. In addition to the Institute, we also have the announcement of the formation of the Genocide Museum of Serbia and Yugoslavia. This government has a vision of how it wants to deal with this topic, and it is biased and does not include all the victims of this conflict," she said.

Formation of the Museum of Genocide

KiM radio recalled the action plan adopted as part of the Strategy that envisages the establishment of the Museum of Crimes of the former Yugoslavia and Serbia. The then Kosovo Minister of Culture Hajrulla Ceku said the museum, whose official name is the "Museum of Genocide and the Struggle for Freedom", will actually be a place where the crimes of "the former Yugoslavia and Serbia against Albanians and others in Kosovo" will be documented.

Lawyer Vasic said that no one was preventing the Serbs from building their own Crime Museum. "Albanians were killed, but a lot of Serbs were also killed. 200,000 Serbs were expelled, so we can also deal with it in that way. But what is the purpose and what will we achieve with it? Those who do it probably know it very well. And why the Serbs don't do it, they probably don't know very well", he said. Commenting on the rhetoric of the representatives of the Kosovo authorities who accuse Serbia of ''committing genocide'', Vasic said that when ''there is no judgment about then it does not exist''.

The podcast is produced in collaboration with Pro Peace. The views expressed in this podcast are the sole responsibility of Radio KiM and in no way reflect the views of Pro Peace.

International

Kosovo faces snap elections after second failure to elect govt (BIRN)

The Kosovo parliament failed again to elect a government on Wednesday, leaving President Vjosa Osmani with no other option but to call a snap election.

On the final day of his two-week deadline to form a cabinet, Glauk Konjufca, the second choice of the Vetevendosje party for Prime Minister, received only 56 votes from MPs, five short of the threshold of 61.

It was the second time that Vetevendosje had failed to get a majority in parliament and form a government, after its leader, Albin Kurti, had the same result in his first attempt on October 26.

“Without a new government, our country has only one thing certain – a deepening of the current crisis,” Konjufca told MPs while presenting his cabinet and the main points of its platform.

The second failure to elect a government was the culmination of an eight-month-long political crisis which started in April with the failure to elect a speaker – a saga that dragged on until August.

Konjufca said the failure to elect a government would have heavy consequences. “2025 will be remembered as a year the majority of which was lost in the attempt to establish our constitutional institutions – a parliament and government,” he told MPs while presenting his cabinet.