UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, August 18, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani: Resignation of Serb policemen, result of threats from Serbia (media)
Internationals react to resignation of Serb police officers (RTK)
Basha calls international reactions on Serb police officers "fairy tales" (media)
Head of EULEX and U.S. Ambassador meet, Police and law main topic (RTK)
Haradinaj to Kurti regarding mayors in north: proceed with resignations (media)
Hovenier on delicensing of MTS: The government should be very careful (Klan)
EU has not yet established the joint commission on missing persons (RTK)
Klinaku to Albanian institutions: Do not extradite Dritan Goxhaj (Reporteri)

Serbian Language Media:

Constitutional Court rules that rights of third detained Serb in Brezovica case have been violated (Kosovo Online, social media)
EULEX, OSCE concerned by resignation of Kosovo Serb police officers (N1, BETA)
Stano: The EU was clear; we are ready to introduce drastic measures if there is no de-escalation (RTS)
Kurti and Zogaj discussed the work of the court in North Mitrovica (Kontakt plus radio)

International Media:

Serb Witness Tells Thaci Trial KLA Kidnapped Her Husband and Son (Balkan Insight)
Ethnic Albanian Producer Slates Serbian Ban on his Films as ‘Censorship’ (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani: Resignation of Serb policemen, result of threats from Serbia (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani reacted after the resignation of three Serb policemen from the Kosovo Police. She said that their resignation is the result of constant threats and intimidation from Serbia. “The resignation of police officers of the Serb community is a direct result of ongoing threats and intimidation from Serbia - an evidence that its policies continue to reflect Milosevic tactics. We will continue to ensure inclusivity across all institutions and a safer Kosovo for all,” Osmani tweeted.

Internationals reacts to resignation of Kosovo Serb police officers (RTK)

Head of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), Giovanni Pietro Barbano, said on Thursday that he is following with concern the resignations of three newly recruited Serb policemen in the Kosovo Police.

“Looking with concern at the recent resignations of 3 newly recruited Kosovo Serbs members of the Kosovo Police. EULEX is closely following these worrisome developments. Police composition should reflect and represent the society they serve and protect, “ he wrote.

The German ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, shared Barbano’s post saying that he completely agrees. "I completely agree: a multi-ethnic country needs a multi-ethnic police force. All members of the Kosovo Police, regardless of which ethnic group they belong to, must be able to perform their duties without intimidation," Rohde said.

The U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeff Hovenier, also reacted to Barbano’s tweet. "We fully share these concerns and reiterate our commitment to the multi-ethnic police force of Kosovo. As I have said many times, the Kosovo Police exists to serve all communities in Kosovo and its officers must be able to work without intimidation. Looking closely at these developments", Hovenier wrote.

Former KFOR Spokesperson Vicenzo Grasso wrote: “It comes as no surprise! Belgrade, thru SL, has always sabotaged any initiative leading to integration of K-Serbs for the development of peaceful multinational society in Kosovo. They have always done this and we have always tolerated it without strongly opposing this behavior.”

Basha calls international reactions on Serb police officers "fairy tales" (media)

Dimal Basha, MP from the ranks of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) has called the reactions of the ambassadors and EULEX to the resignation of three Serb police officers in the north "fairy tale".

"The head of EULEX and all ambassadors have reacted by saying that we are following with concern the recent resignations of 3 newly recruited Kosovo Serbs. You are seriously selling us fairy tales, because if you were really concerned, you would have undertaken measures against Serbia, not Kosovo", Basha wrote on Facebook.

Head of EULEX and U.S. ambassador meet, Police and law main topic (RTK)

Head of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), Giovanni Pietro Barbano, met with the ambassador of the United States of America in Kosovo, Jeff Hovenier. In his post on Twitter, Barbano announced that the rule of law and the promotion of the best practices of the Police were the topic of the meeting.

“Very productive meeting with the US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey M. Hovenier today. The US is an important partner of the EU family and we discussed how to advance our common priorities in the field of rule of law institutions and in the promotion of best police practices", the head of EULEX wrote.

Haradinaj to Kurti regarding mayors in north: proceed with resignations (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj called on Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Thursday to stop the procedure of ousting the mayors in the northern municipalities through a petition. Through a post on Facebook, Haradinaj emphasized that Kurti should continue with a new strategy.

"Albin, stop the procedure of ousting the mayors in the northern municipalities with a petition. Continue with a new strategy, with the resignation of the mayors. In this way, even the allies will be convinced that you are for a solution, and not for new crises in the north of the country", Haradinaj wrote.

Hovenier on delicensing of MTS: The government should be very careful (Klan)

A decision from the beginning of August this year may have violated an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia from eight years ago. This is when the government decided to revoke the license of the Serbian operator MTS to broadcast in Kosovo, as it was said because of the unconstitutional content in the documentation, the news website reports. This decision was considered to be a bit hasty, since the executive did not coordinate with anyone. U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said that there should be increased caution in this case.

"This is a very sensitive issue. And in the case of any business whose license may be revoked we would suggest that any government take these actions with caution. It's a big deal when you suspend a business's license. We had this discussion, in a different context with Klan Kosova, as well. But MTS is particularly special, since a good part of the basis of its operation is an agreement reached under the dialogue agreement regarding the provision of fixed and mobile telephone services. So, we encourage the government in a special way to be very, very careful about the decisions it makes," Hovenier said.

He noted that the special representative of the European Union, Miroslav Lajcak, is in dialogue with the government on how to proceed. "Lajcak and his team are working with the government of Kosovo on how to manage this. I don't want to assume anything, but we support the work of the EU envoy, who is responsible for ensuring that everything is done in accordance with the Brussels agreements", he said.

MTS is a company founded on the basis of the Brussels Agreement for the telecommunications of Kosovo and Serbia in 2015, as part of the dialogue for the normalization of relations. At the end of 2016, this company with headquarters in North Mitrovica, received the license to operate in Kosovo.

EU has not yet established the joint commission on missing persons (RTK)

The fate of 1,600 people still remains a mystery. In relation to this issue, the Declaration on Missing Persons was approved between the Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on May 2 in Brussels, with the mediation of the EU. According to the agreement, the EU should establish a commission which would be supervised by the International Red Cross and would have two members from Kosovo and Serbia.

"To adequately ensure the rights and address the needs of the families of missing persons, establish and work together through a joint commission chaired by the European Union and monitored by the ICRC with the aim of supporting efforts to resolve the fate of the remaining missing persons".

However, there is no progress in this direction even four months after the adoption of this declaration. Although there is still nothing concrete from the European Union, officials in Pristina indicate who could be members from the Kosovar side in this Joint Commission.

"Who are these members, then this is also determined by the terms of reference, but the names are not specified because they can be starting from the prime minister, the deputy prime minister who is the head of the dialogue, up to me. There are three levels that can be, and this is decided by the EU", said Andin Hoti, head of the Governmental Commission for Missing Persons.

Veljko Odalovic is in charge of the issue of missing persons from the Serbian side, who is continuously contested by the government of Kosovo, due to his criminal past. Contacted by RTK, Odalovic said that the process of establishing the joint commission has been blocked in Brussels.

"In several meetings in Brussels, as a delegation from Belgrade, we took an active part in harmonizing the text of the tasks according to which that joint commission should work and according to which rules. However, some meetings in Brussels are already a conversation of the deaf. We are also in a situation where we are not doing anything and we cannot do anything because the joint commission has not scheduled a single meeting and cannot schedule one if it does not know the rules you have to work with", Odalovic said.

According to him, members of the joint commission for the missing should be the chief negotiators Besnik Bislimi and Petar Petkovic.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Forensic Medicine says that due to the politicization of this issue by Serbia, excavations in Serbian territory have been made impossible.

"We have had work stalled in the territory of Serbia, but I hope that the Brussels dialogue will continue, I am optimistic that the process will speed up and we will be offered access to Serbian territory as well,” said Ditor Haliti, Acting Director of IML.

Regarding the delay in the creation of the joint Kosovo-Serbia Commission for the missing, agreed in May, RTK has also asked the official Brussels, however it has not received a response.

Klinaku to Albanian institutions: Do not extradite Dritan Goxhaj (Reporteri)

Faton Klinaku, acting head of the KLA War Veterans Organization, called on Albanian authorities on Thursday not to extradite Dritan Goxhaj to the Special Court. Through a post on Facebook, he has mentioned the reasons why Albania should not hand him over.

According to him, the Special Court is basing the evidence on interviews and newspapers and not on any concrete facts. "As we know, Dritan Goxhaj has given interviews in various newspapers and televisions and may have mentioned some name who is a witness there, but based on the practice of that Court, his interviews will be confronted and used against the accused in The Hague".

"Dritan has revealed the "secret" about a witness and with this it is being said that justice has been "obstructed"! But, we know that their files came out in the middle of Prishtina from that Super-special Court and our friends Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj were convicted for this mega-scandal."

"We also know that officially and in the announcements of their website, they have published the victims and thus also the witnesses. The question arises, who was investigated or convicted by the members of that pseudo-court which brought out the secret of the documents that were in their administration? In judicial practices, the penalty is applied to the responsible person who keeps or possesses the documents considered "secret" and not to others, who learn about the secret in different ways and forms", Klinaku wrote on Facebook.

Serbian Language Media

Constitutional Court rules that rights of third detained Serb in Brezovica case have been violated (Kosovo Online, social media)

Strpce mayor Dalibor Jevtic said that Kosovo Constitutional Court after verdicts in favor of Jadran Kostic and Sasa Spasic, two detained Serb defendatns in the Brezovica case, made a new decision to accept the complaint of Sada Milosavljevic, another defendant in the same case, Kosovo Online portal reports.

Jevtic published on his Facebook page parts of the Constitutional Court’s decision on Milosavljevic.

The elaboration of the decision said that the Court unanimously confirmed that the decision of the Court of Appeals from September 5, last year was not in line with the Constitution and European Convention on Human Rights. The court with seven votes pro and one vote contra decided to reject the request to introduce a provisional measure.

“In other words, Sasa is in detention illegally”, Jevtic wrote in a post.

Jevtic also mentioned a separate opinion of one of the judge saying that he thinks “the Court must have declared void decision of the Court of Appeals from September 5, last year and decision of the Basic Court from September 13, last year, respectively all other decisions by which complainant was kept in the prison unconstitutionally”.

He also asked in which case the court shall introduce the provisional measure if not in the case confirmed to be unconstitutional and in violation of the Constitution and European Convention, while the complainant is still in detention in violation of those legal documents.

He noted the Court “should have imposed provisional measures and ordered regular courts to make a new decision in line with the conclusions of this verdict and immediately revoke anti- constitutional detention and replace it with a mitigated measure of ensuring presence of the defendant in a criminal proceeding”.

EULEX, OSCE concerned by resignation of Kosovo Serb police officers (N1, BETA)

Head of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) Giovanni Pietro Barbano said on Thursday that he was concerned by the resignations of three Kosovo Serb members of the Kosovo police who were recently recruited, N1 reports.

“EULEX is closely following these worrisome developments. Police composition should reflect and represent the society they serve and protect”, Barbano posted on his X (Twitter) account.

He added that non-majority members of Kosovo police can contribute to the safety of their own communities through community-oriented policing.

Head of OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Michel Davenport also reacted. “Very much share these concerns about resignations of new Kosovo Serb #KP recruits - @EULEXKosovo & @OSCEKosovo have worked together to support #KP recruit cadets from all non-majority communities. Our support for a professional, multi-ethnic police force in #Kosovo will continue”, he wrote in a post.

Stano: The EU was clear; we are ready to introduce drastic measures if there is no de-escalation (RTS)

The spokesperson of the European Union, Peter Stano, stated that the EU was clear on several occasions when it comes to what it expects from Pristina in order to withdraw the introduced measures, as well as that the EU is ready to introduce drastic measures if the situation in the north of Kosovo does not de-escalate, reported RTS.

Peter Stano said that the EU demanded from Pristina to act in the direction of de-escalation and to immediately suspend all police actions in and around administrative municipal buildings in municipalities with a Serbian majority in the north of Kosovo.

"The four mayors would temporarily perform their duties outside the municipal buildings. We also noted and welcomed the announcement by the Kosovo government to reduce the police presence by 25 percent in and around the municipal buildings. These are all important steps, but additional steps are needed", Stano said at a regular press briefing, when he was asked whether the EU will begin to lift measures against Pristina the moment elections are called in the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo.

He emphasized that the abolition of punitive measures does not depend on the EU or international partners, but on the ability of Belgrade and Pristina to respond to requests, agreements, or obligations.

"Also, we have said on several occasions that the elections must be organized in all four municipalities. Organized in an inclusive manner with the full and unconditional presence of all Kosovo Serbs. And it is very important to return to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina to discuss the most important things again - about the agreement and their implementation," Stano emphasized.

Kurti and Zogaj discussed the work of the court in North Mitrovica (Kontakt plus radio)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti spoke yesterday to the Chairman of Kosovo Judicial Council, Albert Zogaj, reported Kontakt plus radio.

One of the topics of the conversation was the work of the court in North Mitrovica - it was confirmed by the office of the prime minister. However, no details were provided regarding this topic in the announcement.

On the other hand, it is stated that during the meeting, "intensification of cooperation in judicial reform" was agreed, as well as "other issues related to strengthening the rule of law".

Kosovo media reported that the Kosovo Prosecutorial and Judicial Councils have not yet decided on the resignations of Serbian judges and prosecutors.

Kosovo Judicial Council did not explain the reason for the absence of a decision, and the Prosecutorial Council stated that they examine each case separately, Koha reported at the end of July.

International Media

Serb Witness Tells Thaci Trial KLA Kidnapped Her Husband and Son (Balkan Insight)

At the trial of Kosovo’s ex-President Hashim Thaci and three others in The Hague, a witness claimed her husband and son were among several men abducted by the Kosovo Liberation Army in 1998 and never seen again.

Dragica Bozanic, 17th witness at the war crimes and crimes against humanity trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three others, testified at the Kosovo Special Chambers in The Hague on Thursday that her husband and son were taken by the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, and never seen again.

“I do not wish what I went through to anyone. I lost half of my heart when my 16-year -old son was snatched from my hands… and I will never stop until I discover the truth,” Bozanic, an ethnic Serb originally from Kosovo but not living there since the war, told the court.

According to Bozanic, on July 18, 1998, KLA members attacked her house and there had been gunfire between KLA members and ethnic Serbs from her village of Opterush in Rahovec/Orahovac. Eventually the Serbs had surrendered and the KLA members had sent them to a nearby village.

“Men and women were separated and voices were heard when the men were beaten by KLA members,” Bozanic told the court.