UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, August 1, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: We expect all barricades to be removed today (media)
Kosovo institutions continue coordination on latest developments (media)
Jarinje, Bernjak remain closed; four cases of mistreatment against Albanians (media)
Over 1,500 entry-exit documents issued so far at border crossing points (Koha)
Borrell invites Kurti and Vucic to Brussels to resume dialogue (RFE)
EU is following events in Kosovo with concern, spokesperson says (media)
Rama: Kosovo is right in its sovereignty; Vucic mustn’t feed groups in north (media)
Begaj: Kosovo authorities avoided a serious provocation (media)
PDK: Unprepared action in the north; government must coordinate with allies (Koha)
Haradinaj: Security operations must be studied, analysed and explained well (media)
Majko: Serbia has launched an aggression against the state of Kosovo (media)
Kosovo government adopts emergency measures in energy supply (Kallxo)
513 new cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Serbs in northern Kosovo spent night at barricades set up in protest (Tanjug)
Reactions on situation in northern Kosovo, Pristina’s decision (Tanjug, media)
Visoki Decani: Interethnic relations have never been worse due to attitude of Kosovo authorities (media, social media)
Obradovic from Dveri Movement to demand session on Kosovo (Danas)
Dendias on situation in Kosovo: Caution and respect of international law needed (Kosovo Online)
Kremlin: Rights of Serbs in KiM must be guaranteed with resolution (Kosovo Online)
Survey: Most people in northern Kosovo unwilling to change licence plates (N1, KoSSev)
Billboards “Welcome to ZSO” posted in four northern municipalities (Kosovo Online, media)
Starovic responds to Osmani’s chief of cabinet (Kosovo Online)
Sanchez: We support Serbia regarding Kosovo (Radio KIM, KoSSev)
Long vehicles queues at Merdare and Konculj crossing points (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)
Kosovo police arrested two Serbs, case goes in regular procedure (Kosovo Online, RTS)

International:

Russia’s war in Ukraine finds echoes in the Balkans (The Washington Post)
Serb Barricades Still up in North Kosovo Despite Govt Climbdown (BIRN)
Kosovo delays plan for volatile north as tensions rise near Serbian border (The Guardian)
Serbia Awards National TV Licences to Pro Govt Stations – Again (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

Serbia Ignores Calls to Free Kurdish Politician on Hunger Strike (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: We expect all barricades to be removed today (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti called on the international community today to react and condemn the violence and aggression of criminal gangs in the north of Kosovo. “I call on international factors, the Western democratic centres, the European Union and NATO, to condemn the violence and aggression of criminal gangs in the north of Kosovo which are clearly encouraged, prepared and funded by Belgrade,” he told a press conference together with Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla. “We understand the concerns of European and American factors about the negative effects of the misinformation campaigns about our two decisions”.

Kurti said he contacted last night with European and American allies and thanked the U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier for his role in alleviating the situation. “I thank them for their open communication and their role. In particular I highly appreciate the commitment of the U.S. Ambassador, who was concerned as we were about the situation, and contributed greatly last night to alleviate the situation, while always supporting our state and government, our decisions and positions,” he said.

Kurti said the decision to postpone the reciprocity will be made after all barricades by Serbs in the north are removed. “The border crossings of Jarinje and Bernjak remain closed because the roads leading there are still blocked. At other crossing points, entry-exit documents are being issued. The Government of Kosovo repeats its pledge that when the barricades in the north are removed, we will postpone the implementation of two decisions until September 1. There are nine barricades north of the Iber, and we expect all of them to be removed today. Our measures are for legality and democratic order. No measure is aimed against ethnic identities. Violence will not be tolerated,” he said.

Kurti said Kosovo will not allow instability and we will make sure that peace prevails.

Kurti said it is not easy for Kosovo authorities to deal with the illegal structures in the north as they are supported by the entire state apparatus of Serbia. “Last night shots were fired against the Kosovo Police and there were nine barricades with armed people around them who stopped people travelling in vehicles and pedestrians. Serbia’s illegal structures have turned into aggressive criminal gangs. It is not easy for our state because they are being supported by the entire state apparatus of our northern neighbour. There have been a dozen serious and apparent violations of the law yesterday, and the police and prosecution are handling these cases. Fortunately, there were no injuries from the fired shots despite some fake news published by a news website. We call on all citizens to closely follow the official information coming from the Government, the Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Kosovo Police,” he said.

Kurti said he has yet to receive an invitation from EU High Representative Josep Borrell for a meeting in Brussels with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. “We were supposed to meet with the Serbian President in Brussels on July 19. But he asked for the meeting to be postponed to the end of August; he was probably busy with the preparations for what happened yesterday … I have expressed my readiness to go to Brussels whenever the High Representative invites us. We have not received an invitation yet, but the moment we will receive it we will make it public, and we will announce our position. We are for a well-prepared dialogue toward a binding agreement for the full normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and mutual recognition”.

Interior Minister Svecla said that 11 citizens received medical treatment for injuries sustained in the north yesterday. “Also several vehicles belonging to citizens and to Kosovo Police were damaged by armed criminal and illegal structures,” he said.

Svecla confirmed that some barricades in the north have been removed and that other barricades have started to be removed. “With law enforcement authorities we are working on the smooth functioning of the process. We want to assure the citizens that the whole process is being implemented in close cooperation between the police units. Our institutions will be ready at any moment to assist the citizens that may need additional information,” he said.

Kosovo institutions continue coordination on latest developments (media)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani met today with Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca, Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla and Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla, to continue the inter-institutional coordination on the latest developments. Leaders of opposition parties too were invited to the meeting, but they did not attend. “The institutions of the country will continue regular contacts and consultations with the opposition, with the aim of coordination on issues of national interest. We will also continue our full coordination and regular communication with our strategic allies,” a press release issued by the Office of the President notes.

Jarinje, Bernjak remain closed; four cases of mistreatment against Albanians in north (media)

Kosovo Police reconfirmed today that the border crossing points of Jarinje and Bernjak remain closed as roads leading to these points are still blocked with heavy machinery “by organised criminal persons/groups”. Police also said that the decision to issue entry-exit documents for Serbian nationals entering Kosovo is being implemented in other border crossing points with Serbia.

Police said that there were four cases when shots were fired against police officers in the north but that no injuries were sustained. Police also said that four cases when Albanians were stopped and mistreated in the north were reported. “Injuries were sustained and damages were caused to their vehicles by persons who are believed to be part of the road blockades,” the police statement notes.

Over 1,500 entry-exit documents issued so far at border crossing points (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said that 1,501 entry-exit documents have been issued so far in the border crossing points of Kosovo. These documents are not being issued only in Jarinje and Bernjak as these two crossing points remain blocked.

Borrell invites Kurti and Vucic to Brussels to resume dialogue (RFE)

EU High Representative Josep Borrell has called a meeting in Brussels between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, unnamed sources confirmed to the news website. Kurti and Vucic have received invitations to resume the dialogue and discuss all outstanding issues between the two sides.

The same sources said that tensions are a direct result of the lack of willingness by the leaders to meet and resume the dialogue. They said that a meeting between the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia was planned before the start of summer leave in the EU. “Because of that fact [that the meeting was not held] now we have tensions with the possibility of escalation because there is another heated topic. Every responsible politician would board a plane and come to Brussels as soon as possible with the aim of finding a solution in Brussels,” a European official, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Radio Free Europe.

Borrell’s invitation for the meeting in Brussels is open and for the time being there is no date for the new round of dialogue “because everything depends on the political willingness of the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia”.

EU is following events in Kosovo with concern, spokesperson says (media)

A spokesperson for the European Union, Peter Stano, said today that EU institutions and member states are following the events in Kosovo with concern. He confirmed that EU High Representative Josep Borrell has invited Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to a meeting in Brussels to resume the dialogue. “Every uncoordinated and unilateral action that threatens stability and the freedom of movement must stop,” he said.

Rama: Kosovo is right in its sovereignty; Vucic mustn’t feed groups in north (media)

Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, said today that the escalation of the situation in the north of Kosovo was unreasonable. At a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart who is visiting Tirana, Rama said that Kosovo is right and obliged to implement agreements and to exercise its territorial sovereignty. He also called on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic not to “feed certain groups in the north” that are against the implementation of agreements.

“There has been an unreasonable escalation because the government of Kosovo is right and is obliged to implement agreements by exercising territorial sovereignty for an independence in the administration of the state. We welcome the agreement to postpone the implementation of the agreement, and Borrell too has welcomed this. I call on the President of Serbia not to feed certain groups in the north of Kosovo that are against the implementation of a valid agreement,” Rama said.

Rama said the situation in the north shows that the Open Balkan initiative is a necessity. He also congratulated Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti for showing restraint and for listening to allies to postpone the implementation of the agreement until everything is clarified.

“The developments yesterday show the deep difficulty in these relations, but the implementation of the agreement reached in Brussels is a right and obligation for Kosovo and I support the government of Kosovo 100 percent and I commend Prime Minister Kurti for his restraint and for listening to the allies that suggested the postponement. These situations do not show that our approach toward Serbia and our policy of rapprochement and dialogue is wrong. These situations show exactly why we need this. These situations show exactly why the Open Balkan is needed and why Kosovo should join the Open Balkan. These situations show that there are two roads; the road of going back and war, which does not benefit anyone, and the road of building peace. I am in favour of the first road and don’t expect me to have a different opinion,” he said.

Rama also said that he discussed with the Spanish Prime Minister about the independence of Kosovo but that Spain’s position not to recognise Kosovo remains unchanged.

Begaj: Kosovo authorities avoided a serious provocation (media)

President of Albania Bajram Begaj commended Kosovo authorities today for the maturity they showed toward the latest developments in the north of Kosovo and for cooperation and coordinating closely with international partners to avoid a serious provocation against stability. “Kosovo is now an irreversible political reality, it contributes to peace and stability in the region and has been confirmed by over half of member states of the United Nations and also by the International Court of Justice 11 years ago,” Begaj said.

PDK: Unprepared action in the north; government must coordinate with allies (Koha)

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Vlora Citaku said today that the recent situation in the north was a failure by the government to implement its decisions and that it is creating the impression that the north is “unmanageable and beyond the control of the state”.

Citaku said the government should have previously coordinated its actions with international friends and not invite and listen to them in the final moments of the crisis. “The confusion created in the public about the situation in the north is concerning. It is important for the government to explain clearly what the new decision is and what is the current situation, and whether or not the decision to implement reciprocity has been postponed. We expect the government to be serious and act responsibly. Situations like the one last evening should not happen again in September,” she said.

Haradinaj: Security operations must be studied, analysed and explained well (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said today that security operations for wielding sovereignty must be studied, analysed and explained well. “Kosovo does not have the luxury to engage in experiments … Every half-finished action, like the one last night, is a loss for Kosovo. The enforcement of law and order has no alternative and must be done in close consultation with our security allies. The 30-day timeline to implement the reciprocity must be used with great seriousness,” Haradinaj said.

Majko: Serbia has launched an aggression against the state of Kosovo (media)

Most news websites report that Pandeli Majko, former Prime Minister of Albania and MP from the Socialist Party, has reacted to the latest development in the north of Kosovo, saying that Serbia has launched an aggression against Kosovo.

“The unilateral declaration by the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo of a territory with a different legality is the beginning of a crisis that has nothing to do with the rights of Serbs. The Serb provocation in Kosovo is an attempt by the ‘Pons Pilatus’ in Belgrade to change the status quo of peace in the region! Belgrade’s policy is losing European qualities and is functioning as a ‘second front’ for the policy of the East. Violence brings fast changes but illusionary results!” Majko wrote on Facebook today.

Kosovo government adopts emergency measures in energy supply (Kallxo)

The Kosovo Government, following a proposal by the Ministry of Economy, adopted today the decision to announce emergency measures in the energy supply. According to the government, in order to ensure sufficient energy during the winter season and to protect the public interest, the emergency measures will include: a prohibition of the use of electricity for cryptocurrency mining; support for the Transmission and Market System Operator (KOSTT) to undertake the necessary actions in order to maintain the security of the energy system; and measures to save on energy consumption by all institutions.

513 new cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo (media)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Health said in a statement today that 513 new cases with COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. No deaths from the virus were recorded during this time. There are 9,464 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Serbs in northern Kosovo spent night at barricades set up in protest (Tanjug)

Serbs from northern Kosovo blocked the traffic yesterday afternoon by setting up barricades at Rudare settlement near Zvecan, near Lesak in direction of Jarinje, and in Zupce near Zubin Potok, in a protest over Pristina’s decisions seen as endangerment of their survival in Kosovo, Tanjug news agency reports.

Tanjug news agency reported that local residents also spent the night at barricades and told Tanjug crew that visited them this morning at Rudare they were determined to carry on and would stay on the barricades as long as it takes.

Tanjug also reported there are no changes at Jarinje and Brnjak crossing points since yesterday, when they were closed and passengers may not enter Kosovo at those crossing points on foot either.

RTS reported around 11 a.m. that removal of the barricades at all roads in northern Kosovo started and the tracks have been moved away to allow the traffic. At around 14.00, KoSSev portal reported that the barricade in Rudare, near Zvecan has been removed completely.

Reactions on situation in northern Kosovo, Pristina’s decision (Tanjug, media)

Following last night tensions in northern Kosovo amid Pristina’s decisions on Serbian ID cards and licence plates as well as subsequent postponement of that decision for a period of one month reactions from Serbian officials, civil society and international fora continued Serbian media report.

“After midnight Pristina continued to issue exit/entry documents, and that was not respected. We are talking to the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and will do our utmost to preserve peace and stability. However, our people had it enough and no one could endure more the terror of Albin Kurti”, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said in his reaction, Tanjug news agency reports.

He added Serbia by decisive diplomatic struggle managed that “Quint and US exert pressure on Albin Kurti so that Pristina postponed implementation of decisions on licence plates and ID cards”.

Petkovic also said Pristina wanted to cause conflict and it brought armoured vehicles and heavily armed special police officers to Belvedere base in Mitrovica South. Petkovic opined Kurti wanted “to set powder keg on fire in the northern part of Kosovo and Metohija, but also an entire Western Balkans”.

Outgoing Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic in her reaction said that “(Albin) Kurti is a man whose only policy is permanent violence and provocations”. She said that Kurti “led to this very situation – by abolishing the rights of Serbs to vote, by banning holding of elections in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, by disrespecting Brussels agreement and openly admitting that Pristina will never implement Brussels agreement”.

Outgoing Serbian Foreign Minister, Nikola Selakovic said Belgrde wants to resolve all open issues with Pristina in a diplomatic manner. He also said that unilateral Pristina’s acts do not contribute to the normalisation of relations.

Chairman of the Serbian Assembly Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, Milovan Drecun said Serbs have the full right to express their dissatisfaction in protests caused by Pristina’s decisions and no one has the right to obstruct them in doing so, in particular not by using force.

He added that Kosovo Prime Minister “Albin Kurti expects destabilisation of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, aiming at fully expelling the Serbian state from these areas”.

President of Serb European Movement from Kosovo and politician Rada Trajkovic said that “(Albin) Kurti used recent visit to the US and meeting with Mr. Blinken to present to the public as if he had American support. The reality is different”, she wrote on Twitter.

“Postponement of implementing reciprocity will be a test for him and an obligation that he also refrains from unilateral, destabilising actions’, she added.

President of the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and Gracanica journalist Zivojin Rakocevic said tensions today were not that high as yesterday, adding the Serbs living south of the Ibar River have already gone through “embarrassing and humiliating experience of having their documents and licence plates taken away”.

He stressed that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija were brought to the edge and have nothing more to give.

“Over the last 20 years we have lost all our rights and these are the last remains of what we wanted, some sort of freedom that belongs to us and is not Albanian”, Rakocevic said.

Former US Envoy for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Richard Grenell called on Kosovo PM Albin Kurti “to stop picking fights and manipulating” because people in Kosovo want peace.

“What’s happening in the Balkans isn’t Russia. Whoever says this to you is trying to manipulate you. This is about Albin Kurti trying once again to give it Serbia. He is living in the past. The people of Kosovo want peace and jobs, Albin. Stop picking fights”, Grenell wrote on Twitter.

He also told a Ukrainian MP and a member of Ukrainian Delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Oleksiy Goncharenko, who said Ukraine should defend Kosovo with its army if attacked by Serbia, that “he was insane”.

Visoki Decani: Interethnic relations have never been worse due to attitude of Kosovo authorities (media, social media)

Visoki Decani Monastery in a series of posts on Twitter said that interethnic relations in Kosovo have never been worse in the last 23 years, adding that Kosovo authorities demonstrate unreadiness to preserve peace and Serbs in Kosovo.

“The interethnic relations in Kosovo have never been worse in the last 23 years due to provocative behaviour of Kosovo Albanian authorities which may lead to a direct confrontation & the total collapse of the Kosovo peace mission. This is the last thing anyone needs at this moment”, the Monastery said.

“In the previous night many #Kosovo Serbs, monks & nuns in our monasteries prayed for peace amid a possible armed action by Kosovo police as well as possible K/Albanian riots. In 2004 pogrom in 2 days 30 Serb churches were burned by K/Albanian extremists. Peace must be preserved”, Monastery added.

It also said that “the only way forward is full respect of laws, hum rights & identities of all communities in #Kosovo, cessation of the relig rights violations and vandalisms & continuation of the EU facilitated dialog between Belgrade & Priština w/ respect of UNSCR 1244. Threats lead to conflict”.

Obradovic from Dveri Movement to demand session on Kosovo (Danas)

Serbian opposition Dveri Movement, which has six MPs in the new composition of the Serbian Assembly, will demand an urgent session to discuss current situation in Kosovo and Metohija, Dveri’s leader Bosko Obradovic told journalists, Danas daily reports.

He added he will also demand a special session to discuss the European Parliament resolution which as he said conditions Serbia to “recognize the fake state of Kosovo and impose sanctions on Russia”.

He also said Dveri Movement will insist on reintroduction of compulsory military service in new format and on adopting resolutions on genocide against Serbs, Jews, and Rom at Croatian Nazi-puppet state (NDH) during WWII.

Meanwhile, Milica Djurdjevic leader of opposition party Zavetnici (Oath Takers) said her party will insist upon reconsideration of all agreements signed with Pristina in Brussels over the previous period.

Dendias on situation in Kosovo: Caution and respect of international law needed (Kosovo Online)

Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias in relation to the situation in Kosovo said that caution and respect of international law were needed, Kosovo Online portal reports. He added Belgrade and Pristina should resolve disputes with talks.

“I do not remember how many times, over the last two years, I have visited Pristina and Belgrade. And also, as it is known, Greece takes part in KFOR, peacekeeping forces in Kosovo”, he said.

He also said it is the environment that would enable Belgrade and Pristina to talk and resolve their disputes and that within this context, Greece as an honest interlocutor in the Balkans will do its utmost to ease this process.

Kremlin: Rights of Serbs in KiM must be guaranteed with resolution (Kosovo Online)

The Kremlin reacting to the events in northern Kosovo called for the respect of the rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija with resolution on conflict in Kosovo, Kosovo Online portal reports citing Belgrade-based B92.

“Rights of the Serbs must be guaranteed with resolution on conflict in Kosovo”, reads the brief statement from the Kremlin.

Survey: Most people in northern Kosovo unwilling to change licence plates (N1, KoSSev)

More than 65 percent of the total of 1,140 responses received in surveys on the KoSSev social network pages indicate that people in northern Kosovo will not remove plates bearing the names of towns in Kosovo and register their vehicles to that of “RKS”.

On the Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages of KoSSev, people were asked if they would remove their Serbian licence plates and register vehicles at the “RKS”. Four answers were offered: “I will“, “I won’t“, “If I have to“, “I expect instructions from Belgrade“. On Facebook, due to technical impossibility, users could only choose the two offered “I will“ or “I will not“, the portal said.

Out of 1,140 total responses, 65.03 percent answered that they would not. Those who intend to do so make up 15.3 percent, while the number of those who will do so if they are forced, and those who expect instructions from Belgrade are equal – 15 percent each.

Billboards “Welcome to ZSO” posted in four northern municipalities (Kosovo Online, media)

Billboards carrying the message “Welcome to Community of Serbian Municipalities” have been posted in four northern municipalities this morning, Kosovo Online portal reports.

There are also messages “This is ZSO” with the symbols and messages in English as well referring to this organisation. The same has been posted on the main pedestrian zone in Mitrovica North.

Starovic responds to Osmani’s chief of cabinet (Kosovo Online)

Serbian Foreign Ministry State Secretary Nemanja Starovic reacted to Blerim Vela’s remarks that what is happening in northern Kosovo was “a textbook repetition of Putin’s playbook by Serbia’s Vucic regime”.

#Kosovo* interim officials in full propaganda mode. Ongoing harassment of Serbs justified with false parallels. For Zelensky Wannabes, invoking Putin is a must. Another proof that geopolitics is the last refuge of the scoundrel. Keep the peace and protect #Serbian civilians”, Starovic wrote on Twitter.

Sanchez: We support Serbia regarding Kosovo (Radio KIM, KoSSev)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who paid a two-day official visit to Serbia and met highest Serbian officials in Belgrade said Spain supports Serbia when it comes to the issue of Kosovo, adding it will always be by its side in defence of international law principles, territorial integrity and sovereignty, Radio KIM reports. He also conveyed support of Spain to fully fledged membership of Serbia to the EU.

“Spain and Serbia were friendly states a long time ago and many things connect us, but I would like to singly out that we are connected with a necessity to respect international law and integrity of our states. Therefore, territorial integrity of our states. And that is why we support Serbia when it comes to Kosovo. Spain has been, and shall always be by Serbia’s side in defence of the principles I mentioned and will always advocate for the talks between sides to resolve those problems. However, beyond any doubt, territorial integrity should be respected”, Sanchez said.

He also said political relations between the two countries were fantastic.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed gratitude to the Spanish people and government for the support they offer to Serbia.

Long vehicles queues at Merdare and Konculj crossing points (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)

Kosovo Online portal reports this morning that long vehicles queues could be seen at Merdare and Konculj crossing point given that Jarinje and Brnjak were still closed for traffic. According to information people need to wait for about an hour at Merdare to enter Kosovo, while to exit people need to wait three hours. At Konculj crossing point people need to wait longer than an hour.

Meanwhile, Tanjug news agency reported that traffic at Merdare this morning runs at a normal pace, with a ten minute wait only.

Kosovo police arrested two Serbs, case goes in regular procedure (Kosovo Online, RTS)

Kosovo police said yesterday it arrested two Serbs near Zubin Potok wearing T-shirts with a message “No Surrender”, Kosovo Online portal reports citing Pristina-based Ekonomija online. The arrest took place prior to the tensions flaring in northern municipalities amid Pristina’s decisions on Serbian ID cards and licence plates.

The police said that following talks with the prosecutor, the case goes in regular procedure.

Meanwhile, the sources told Serbian national broadcaster RTS that the two men were “interrogated, mistreated, their T-shirts taken, and they were forced to tear them off in a police base Brnjak. After they took their statements, they wrote reports under the pretext of them inciting racial and national hatred”.

International

Russia’s war in Ukraine finds echoes in the Balkans (The Washington Post)

Analysis by Ishaan Tharoor

A couple months after launching Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin tried to justify his war by pointing to the Western Balkans. In a meeting with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, Putin pointed to the legacy of the NATO intervention in the former Yugoslavia in 1999, a bombing campaign that hit targets across what was then combined Serbia and Montenegro in a bid to halt Serbia’s onslaught against ethnic Kosovar Albanians fighting for autonomy. The brief war and subsequent peacekeeping operation led to the emergence of the independent nation of Kosovo.

The Western alliance’s actions then, Putin suggested, were no different than what his forces sought to do now in attempting to guarantee the independence of two pro-Kremlin separatist entities in the eastern Ukrainian region known as Donbas. “Very many states of the West recognized [Kosovo] as an independent state,” Putin told Guterres. “We did the same in respect of the republics of Donbas.”

Humanitarian/Development

Serbia Ignores Calls to Free Kurdish Politician on Hunger Strike (Balkan Insight)

There is growing concern that Serbia is keeping Kurdish activist Ecevit Piroglu behind bars long after his custody sentence expired in order to extradite him to Turkey.

Kurdish politician and activist Ecevit Piroglu, wanted by Turkey on terrorism charges, remains in a detention centre near Belgrade and in critical health after nearly two months on hunger strike, despite rights groups calling for his immediate release. They accuse Serbian authorities of putting him in a detention centre in violation of Serbian law.