• Thousands protest in Skopje in support of former KLA leaders on trial (RFE)
• Osmani honored with ‘Bonifacio VIII Prize” for commitment to peace (RTV21)
• Kosovo sends humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza (RFE)
• Osmani reacts to Sydney terrorist attack: Our hearts are with all those affected (Telegrafi)
• Sources: Trump administration ready to cancel funding of international courts (Klan/Nacionale)
• Haradinaj: Most important decision of my govt was formation of Kosovo Army (AP)
• Janjic: Serbia has de facto recognized Kosovo (RTK)
• Kosovo hit by a 3.1 earthquake (Klan Kosova)
• The Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel: Appeal by the Serbian List upheld, CEC decision flawed and incomplete (Kosovo Online)
• Vandalism reported at Orthodox Cemetery near Obilic (KoSSev)

Thousands protest in Skopje in support of former KLA leaders on trial (RFE)

Thousands gathered on Saturday afternoon in downtown Skopje, in North Macedonia, to call for “genuine justice” as the trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders in the Hague is nearing its end. The protest passed without any reported incidents and under heavy police monitoring. The trial against the former KLA leaders started in 2023 and is expected to conclude early next year.

Hysni Gucati, leader of the KLA War Veterans, said that they gathered in Skopje “to raise our voices” and to call for “genuine justice” for the former KLA leaders. “Today, with this large number of people we show [Kosovo Specialist Chambers President] Trendafilova that the Kosovo Liberation Army was born and acted for the people … We call for justice today. This court [referring to the Specialist Chambers] resembles the courts of Serbia and it is based on fabricated evidence which do not stand,” he said.

Osmani honored with ‘Bonifacio VIII Prize” for commitment to peace (RTV21)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani was honored in Anagni, City of the Popes, with the Bonifacio VIII Prize, an award presented by the Bonifacian Academy for her institutional commitment to promoting peace and continuous contribution to strengthening intercultural and interreligious cooperation. A statement issued by Osmani’s office notes that the award reflects the mission and spirit of the Bonifacian Academy, a prestigious institution that has justice, human dignity and peace at the center of its activity. Upon accepting the award, Osmani said that “the recognition reinforces her commitment to universal and permanent values, which guide the vision and institutional action of the Republic of Kosovo in building peace, dialogue and understanding between peoples”.

Kosovo sends humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza (RFE)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X that Kosovo’s humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza has officially departed from the port of Mersin in Türkiye. “The aid includes tents, food supplies, blankets, and 158,000 hot meals for civilians in need. Although the decision was made in January, its implementation became possible following the recent peace agreement led by President Donald Trump. This reflects Kosova’s commitment to international solidarity and our hope to ease suffering and support efforts toward peace and security. We extend our deep gratitude to the Republic of Türkiye and the Turkish Red Crescent for their close cooperation in making this humanitarian operation possible,” Kurti said.

Kosovo caretaker Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla later said that the humanitarian aid had arrived at its destination and was being distributed. Gervalla also expressed gratitude for the international cooperation that made this humanitarian operation possible.

Osmani reacts to Sydney terrorist attack: Our hearts are with all those affected (Telegrafi)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani reacted to the terrorist attack in Sydney sending Kosovo’s deepest condolences to the families that lost their loved ones. “Our hearts are with all those affected, and we wish strength and healing to the injured. We stand in full solidarity with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the Jewish community, and the people of Australia. Violence and hatred should have no place in our world,” Osmani said in a post on X.

Sources: Trump administration ready to cancel funding of international courts (Klan/Nacionale)

Citing a report initially published by Newsmax Balkans news website, Klan Kosova and Nacionale report that the Trump administration is preparing to drastically reduce funding of international judicial institutions. Newsmax Balkans cited unnamed sources as saying that over the past decades, the United States has invested "more than $100 billion" in international courts, specialized chambers and various judicial funds around the world. “The new American administration believes that this model is ‘outdated’, politically compromised and financially unsustainable, especially because, as they claim, many of those institutions were used for the foreign policy goals of previous administrations,” the news website said.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/7F4Yi

Haradinaj: Most important decision of my govt was formation of Kosovo Army (AP)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said in a post on social media that the Kosovo Army was created as a result of a historic decision during his governance with the support of the United States of America. “The most important decision taken by the Haradinaj government and with the blessing of the United States of America was the creation of the Kosovo Army, a historic act that sealed the sovereignty and security of our state,” he said.

Janjic: Serbia has de facto recognized Kosovo (RTK)

Serbian political commentator Dusan Janjic, in an interview with the Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), said that Serbia has de facto recognized Kosovo. He argued that the dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia has lost its political meaning and has been reduced to formal meetings with no results. He said that although the dialogue is blocked, many issues in relations between Kosovo and Serbia are now resolved. “In the process, Serbia has de facto recognized Kosovo. This has been included in agreements and documents. The narrative of ‘non-recognition’ serves only for domestic consumption. Belgrade has nothing more to offer, as with the attack in Banjska [in the north of Kosovo in September 2023] everything has been given up,” he said.

According to Janjic, the Association of Serb-majority municipalities has been wrongly promoted since the beginning and that it cannot offer a sustainable solution. “The Association of Serb-majority municipalities in this form is not implementable. Kosovo is already decentralized and the ethnic model represents a political failure. Without a clear institutional status and clear protection of the rights of the Serb community, Kosovo does not have a path toward the Council of Europe. There are certain models and Kurti himself has mentioned the Croatian model as an acceptable model for the self-government of municipalities,” he said.

Kosovo hit by a 3.1 earthquake (Klan Kosova)

The news website reports that according to the EMSC, Kosovo has been hit by a 3.1 magnitude earthquake this morning. Reports are that the tremors were felt most in the municipality of Viti. 

The Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel: Appeal by the Serbian List upheld, CEC decision flawed and incomplete (Kosovo Online)

The Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel (IPZP) has upheld the appeal filed by the Serbian List and adopted a decision on the certification of the party’s candidates for Members of Parliament in the parliamentary elections scheduled for 28 December.

In response, the Serbian List also issued a statement, noting that all 33 candidates have been certified for the upcoming elections.

“We inform the public that, following all the pressure and attempts by Kurti’s regime to obstruct the Serbian List, the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel has upheld our appeal, annulled the unlawful decision of the Central Election Commission, and confirmed the certification of all 33 candidates of the Serbian List for participation in the snap parliamentary elections scheduled for 28 December 2025,” the statement from the Serbian List read.

In its published decision, the IPZP stated that the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) not to certify the candidates, adopted at the session held on 10 December, was flawed and incomplete, as it failed to consider key facts and issues relevant to the assessment of whether the legal requirements for the certification of the political entity had been met.

“In the absence of adequate legal reasoning, it is concluded that such a decision cannot legally stand, as it does not contain a proper assessment of the facts in relation to the legal provisions of the Law on General Elections and the Regulation on the Certification of Political Entities,” the IPZP decision states.

It further noted that the Serbian List complied with all statutory deadlines for candidate registration and received a positive recommendation from the Office for Registration, Certification and Financial Control, which was why the appeal was deemed well-founded and upheld.

Vandalism reported at Orthodox Cemetery near Obilic (KoSSev)

Unknown individuals damaged one gravestone plaque and broke flowerpots at two other graves in the municipality of Obilic, Kosovo Police reported on Sunday.

The incident was reported on Friday, December 13, at around 2 p.m.

Police units responded to the scene, and the prosecution was notified. An investigation is ongoing, police said, without providing further details.

A case has been opened under the charge of “Desecration of graves or tombstones.”

Meanwhile, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija also reported on Saturday evening that two gravestones were desecrated and demolished at an Orthodox cemetery in the village of Plemetina, near Obilic.

Plemetina is a village with a predominantly Serb population.

According to the Office, the damage was discovered by relatives of the deceased. They added that the affected family would be compensated for the material damage.

The incident has caused concern among local residents, the Office said, describing it as an “anti-civilizational act” and a reflection of Pristina’s “anti-Serb politics.”

However, they stressed the importance of identifying those responsible and ensuring they are appropriately sanctioned.