UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, April 3, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Prosecutor says KLA not on trial: Only what four defendants have done (media)
Rohde: It is not the KLA which is on trial (media)
Abbott: Neither KLA nor Kosovo struggle for freedom is on trial (media)
Rama on trial of KLA leaders: They fought against ethnic cleansing (media)
PDK’s Hoxhaj certain of innocence of former KLA leaders (EO)
AAK’s Tahiri: Two years of Kurti government most difficult for the country (EO)
President Osmani appoints Donika Kadaj-Bujupi as advisor (media)
UN Rapporteur: More progress needed; Assembly should adopt code of ethics (EO)

Serbian Language Media:

Prosecutor: We will prove that Thaci and others are guilty of crimes in Kosovo and Albania (KiM radio, Beta, media)
Tensions in the north of Kosovo should not affect the continuation of the dialogue, according to Stano (Radio Free Europe)
Who threw an explosive device at Kosovo police and set fire to cars of Serbs who re-registered vehicles from Serbian to Kosovo plates? (Danas)
Serbian officials’ reactions to arrest of M.B. in Zubin Potok (RTS, KoSSev, media)
People’s Party started collecting signatures for referendum on Kosovo (Radio KIM)
Vucic to Milatovic: Serbia a reliable partner to Montenegro (FoNet, N1)

Opinion:

Vasic: There is a matrix in Kosovo that usurpers of Serb properties report owners for war crimes (KoSSev, Radio KIM)
Janjic: Possible demonstrations, barricades, and even armed conflicts in the north of Kosovo (Beta, N1)

International:

Former Kosovar President Thaci Opens War Crimes Trial With Plea Of Not Guilty (RFE)
Milatovic claims victory in Montenegro as longtime leader Djukanovic concedes (BIRN)
Views of Kosovo Women Often Unheard on TV, Attacked Online (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

The Presidency and the Assembly lit up in blue on World Autism Day (media)

Albanian Language Media

Prosecutor says KLA not on trial: Only what four defendants have done (media)

The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office said in its opening statement in the trial of the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, that the KLA is not on trial at the Hague. “This trial does not seek to prosecute the KLA. It does not accuse all its members. If someone says this, it is wrong, it is false. It is simply not true,” prosecutor Alex Whiting said. “The charges are against the four persons … of having committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in 1998 and 1999.”

Whiting also said that “the majority of KLA members had nothing to do with the crimes that the indictment involves”. “This court proceeding has to do only with what the four defendants have done, it involves the crimes they have committed during the war,” he said.

All four former leaders of the KLA pleaded not guilty to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Rohde: It is not the KLA which is on trial (media)

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, said today that the KLA is not on trial in the Hague. “The right to demonstrate is essential in any democracy, and yesterdays‘ manifestation in Pristina showed a thriving civil society in Kosovo. But I would also like to reiterate: It is not the KLA which is on trial, but individuals who are accused of i.e. grave war crimes/crimes against humanity, disappearance of persons and torture. Justice for victims remains important - no impunity for no one. The Special Chambers have fullest support,” Rohde wrote on Twitter.

Abbott: Neither KLA nor Kosovo struggle for freedom is on trial (media)

UK Ambassador to Kosovo, Nicholas Abbott, said today that “neither the KLA nor Kosovo’s struggle for freedom is on trial and nor should they be”. “For many people in Kosovo, the trial beginning today is a moral challenge. I have visited many memorials throughout the country and in too many cases the victims they commemorate are still denied justice. Nevertheless it is right for Kosovo to have the courage to pursue justice for other victims and to apply the rule of law to all of its citizens, even in the most difficult of circumstances. This trial is about the actions of individuals. Neither the KLA nor Kosovo’s struggle for freedom is on trial and nor should they be. The United Kingdom stands by its intervention, as part of NATO, as a just cause to prevent a humanitarian disaster and for all Kosovans to live free from repression. The UK remains committed to achieving justice for all victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Abbott wrote on Twitter.

Rama on trial of KLA leaders: They fought against ethnic cleansing (media)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said in an interview for RTSH that the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who are standing trial in the Hague fought against ethnic cleansing. “There is something seriously wrong with this process. I am surprised in the most negative sense by the fact that the leaders and the commander of a people’s liberation movement, not an organised army, but a rebellion against a brutal regime that tried to ethnically cleanse Albanians from Kosovo, are accused as war criminals. A person whom U.S. President Joe Biden called the George Washington of Kosovo is behind bars today. He is imprisoned without an accusation, and this goes beyond every imagination in relation to international and national law and it makes me think whether this will be the fate of President Zelenksy after several years? One day we could see this hero too, whom we all admire, behind bars,” Rama argued.

PDK’s Hoxhaj certain of innocence of former KLA leaders (EO)

Vice President of the Kosovo Assembly from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Enver Hoxhaj, said today that he is certain that the former KLA leaders who are on trial in the Hague are innocent. “This is a period of pain and injustice, and the case will be closed in their favor. All leaders of the KLA are heroes of war and peace and yesterday we had a march with a mass participation by the citizens. In my opinion, the history of Kosovo was written until September 1999 and it cannot be rewritten in 2023,” Hoxhaj said.

AAK’s Tahiri: Two years of Kurti government most difficult for the country (EO)

Head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, Besnik Tahiri, said today that the next session of the Kosovo Assembly on Thursday will discuss the two years of the Kurti-led government. He argued that this has been a difficult period for Kosovo’s economy, foreign and domestic policy. “Today all prices have gone up and only the wages have not gone up. The energy tariffs have increased. The economy is on the verge of a collapse. The majority of business owners complain about the lack of aid and proper conditions … There is no word about social reforms or about the pensioners. We will address all these issues on Thursday,” Tahiri told reporters after the meeting of the Kosovo Assembly Presidency.

President Osmani appoints Donika Kadaj-Bujupi as advisor (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani appointed Donika Kadaj-Bujupi as advisor in the Office of the President. Osmani’s office said in a statement that Kadaj-Bujupi has extensive parliamentary experience, as member of the Kosovo Assembly in five mandates, and served in different committees, including foreign policy, European integration, and education. Kadaj-Bujupi will work on public communications and international relations in Osmani’s office.

UN Rapporteur: More progress needed; Assembly should adopt code of ethics (EO)

UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, will be staying in Kosovo on a two-day fact-finding mission. Her report, which will be published after the mission, will be one of the most important reports for Kosovo on freedom of expression.

Khan met with the Kosovo Assembly committees on human rights and public administration, to discuss the report. After the meeting, Khan said that the freedom of the media is a challenge for both the Government and the Assembly, and said that she will start her report by describing a very vibrant media environment.

“Thank you for sharing your concerns with me. About the statement made last year for the media environment as a vibrant environment, it is a good point to start my report with. At the same time, I have heard there is room for improvement”.

Khan advised the Assembly to adopt the code of ethics. “The independence of the media depends on the funding of the media. As far as free and independent media are concerned, this is a challenge for both the Government and the Assembly, and I hope you will address this very seriously. The Assembly should adopt the code of ethics. There were many issues you have raised here; we will cover some of them. We will be meeting many other actors for discussions”.

After her visit, Khan will prepare a thematic report with a series of recommendations for public authorities for the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council which will be held in June this year. One of the most important ways to follow the issue is interactive dialogue with the Human Rights Council on the finalised report. Nearly one third of the mandated officials also report to the UN General Assembly and some officially inform the Security Council.

Serbian Language Media

Prosecutor: We will prove that Thaci and others are guilty of crimes in Kosovo and Albania (KiM radio, Beta, media)

Prosecutors of the KLA crimes court in The Hague claimed in their opening statement that they would prove that Hashim Thaci and three co-accused were guilty of crimes in Kosovo and Albania, 1998-99. Together with Thaci, the former commander of the KLA, the members of the Main Staff of the KLA Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi were accused of crimes against Albanians, Serbs and Roma in Kosovo and Albania in 1998-99, reported Serbian media.

Acting Chief Prosecutor Alex Whiting said he would prove that the defendants, as leaders of the KLA Main Staff, "adopted and implemented a policy of targeting anyone they considered to be opponents."

Those "opponents'', according to Whiting, were not only Serbs and Roma, but also Albanians whom the accused declared "collaborators only because they were connected to the Serbian authorities" or because they supported Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic Alliance of Kosovo, reported news agency Beta.

"The defendants implemented that policy by illegally detaining, abusing, torturing and, in some cases, murdering opponents. The evidence will show that hundreds of opponents of the KLA were detained and that more than 100 of them were killed," underlined the prosecutor, adding that most of the victims were Albanians. Whiting underlined that there is "no justification for these crimes... because they are illegal". The accused, as members of a joint criminal enterprise, committed the crimes "in order to take over the power in Kosovo, as well as over those they considered opponents."

As evidence that the defendants' policy was to target anyone they considered to be opponents of the KLA, Whiting cited press releases issued by the KLA Main Staff itself.

"In those announcements, the message was repeated that the opponents are an existential threat to the KLA and Kosovo," Whiting specified.

According to the prosecutor, the first accused Thaci, in several interviews with the prosecutors, denied his role and the role of the KLA Main Staff in the war events in Kosovo.

"He claimed that the General Staff did not function at all until November 1998, and that since then it only worked on paper. Our evidence will show that those statements were false, and among that evidence are some of Thaci's earlier statements," Whiting emphasized.

"What did Thaci want to cover up," asked the prosecutor, addressing the judges.

Denying that the entire KLA is on the dock, the prosecutor once again warned that "a climate of intimidation and harassment of witnesses" still reigns in Kosovo.

"Persons who cooperate with this court are still being declared collaborators and traitors in Kosovo. It will certainly affect this process," Whiting indicated.

Prosecutors continue presenting their opening statement. After the prosecutors, opening statements will be given tomorrow by the legal representative of more than 140 victims, who were approved by the court to participate in the trial.

The defence attorneys of the accused will then present their opening arguments. The four defendants will also have the right to make statements at the beginning of the trial.

The testimony of the prosecution's first witness is scheduled for April 11.

Tensions in the north of Kosovo should not affect the continuation of the dialogue, according to Stano (Radio Free Europe)

The spokesperson of the European Union, Peter Stano, expressed the hope that the events in the north of Kosovo will not affect the upcoming meeting of the chief negotiators of Pristina and Belgrade, which is scheduled for Tuesday, reported RFE.

"We expect both sides to make their contribution, to create and maintain an atmosphere of normalization and reconciliation and to quickly implement the commitments undertaken, at the end of February in Brussels, and then in Ohrid. The parties themselves have undertaken to refrain from any actions that would have the opposite effect. This means that it would be against this atmosphere, which is necessary for constructive engagement and reconciliation," Stano said.

The EU spokesperson added that what we have witnessed in recent days, especially in Kosovo and in the north, will not, of course, affect tomorrow's (4 April) meeting, reported Radio free Europe.

Who threw an explosive device at Kosovo police and set fire to cars of Serbs who re-registered vehicles from Serbian to Kosovo plates? (Danas)

Danas daily reported that morning after an explosive device was thrown at the Kosovo police in the northern part of Mitrovica, which, as it was assumed, represented an act inspired by the arrest of a suspect for burning the cars of Serbs who decided to re-register their vehicles to Kosovo licence plates, almost simultaneously and in an identical tone, Ivica Dacic, head of diplomacy and Petar Petkovic, director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, addressed the public - stop Kurti.

“Albin Kurti wants to cause riots and instability not only in Kosovo but in the entire region, that is, he wants to avoid the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities and therefore he arrests Serbs,” wrote Danas daily.

However, both officials neither referred to the facts nor gave an explanation about who then set fire to the cars of the Serbs in the north of Kosovo, who decided to replace KM plates with RKS, if the arrests of the suspects were inspired by the alleged higher political goals of the authorities in Pristina, avoiding formation of CSM (ZSO).

Goran Rakic, the president of SL, also threatened a rebellion, as he stated, of the Serbian people who will gather if Milan Bozovic, who was previously accused of setting fire to a car and shooting at the Kosovo police, was not released.

During that time, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, addressed the public from Verona, where, as part of the Open Balkans initiative, he met with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, stressing that the reconciliation of the Albanian and Serbian peoples was on the right track.

In the presence of Vucic, Rama spoke about the fact that in his conversation with Kurti he observed a more open and constructive approach regarding the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

Sociologist Jovo Bakic, referring to the mentioned events, told Danas that it was a "typical schizophrenic atmosphere" created by the ruling regime in Serbia.

- It serves the purpose of serving an already disoriented society. People feel helpless and surrender to the guidance of a wise leader - Bakic assessed for Danas.

According to him, Serbs in Kosovo are constantly intimidated.

- And the leader, relying on Albin Kurti, if he has to, will finally do what he committed to, but he will cover it up with nationalist phrases - noted Jovo Bakic.

He concluded that with this kind of behaviour the government puts the lives of Kosovo Serbs in danger, which, unfortunately, he noted, was nothing new.

Serbian officials’ reactions to arrest of M.B. in Zubin Potok (RTS, KoSSev, media)

Serbian List officials said on Sunday in Mitrovica North in relation to the arrest of M.B. from Zubin Potok that in case he is not released from detention Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija will not accept such a situation, adding they are convinced M.B is arrested without any evidence, RTS reports.

Igor Simic told a media conference that citizens feel distressed, terming the arrest as “abduction by Albin Kurti’s regime”.

“The fact that they use force and have no evidence at all confirms this. (Xhelal) Svecla already declared him guilty without verdict and evidence”, Simic said, adding that 32 ethnically motivated attacks against the Serbs took place in Kosovo since the beginning of the year.

“They mistreat the people, illegally and anti-constitutionally, and police forces must be multiethnic. I want to stress that this is a drop which overflew the glass. In case Bozovic is not released Serbian people will rise up and demonstrate that the situation is unacceptable. There will be an uprising against Albin Kurti’s regime and his rule”, Simic said.

He also urged the international community not to remain silent, adding they are not able to protect the rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic in a joint press conference with Serbian List President Goran Rakic in Belgrade on Sunday said it goes to Pristina’s favour to have incidents in northern Kosovo. Petkovic also said Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti wishes no peace, dialogue with Belgrade and establishment of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, and that is why he is causing incidents across Kosovo.

Rakic said if repression continues, and M.B is not released they will call upon Serbian people in Kosovo “for general resistance and uprising, because repression by Albin Kurti and institutions he is heading can’t be endured any longer”.

“This is not directed against Albanian people, this relates to the institutions headed by Albin Kurti, to repression he carries out against Serbian people”, Rakic said.

Party of Kosovo Serbs (PKS) headed by Aleksandar Jablanovic said the calls for uprising represent “the final stage of madness by Serbian List and people heading it”, adding should that happen then Serbian List top officials should take the lead along with their close and extended families’ members.

Serb People’s Movement Fatherland condemned the arrest of M.B, saying the arrest “looked more like abduction”, claiming it was carried out by persons in plain clothes in vehicles without licence plates.

Fatherland accused the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for the current situation Serbs in northern Kosovo face saying that “before Aleksandar Vucic took power such arrests could not be carried out in the north of Kosovo and Metohija even in theory”.

They also said if President Vucic wants to resolve the situation with licence plates then he must apply a reciprocity measure meaning banning Kosovo-issued “RKS” plates from entering central Serbia until Pristina stops mistreating Serbs from Kosovo and owners of Serbian-issued plates Serbs in Kosovo use.

A total of ten vehicles with “RKS” plates were set on fire in northern Kosovo over the last week, the KoSSev portal reported. On Saturday, April 1, M.B. from Zubin Potok was arrested in connection with those incidents. In line with previous practice, the portal continues, Pristina officials made public statements on the perpetrators, although the arrested person currently has a status of a suspect.

People’s Party started collecting signatures for referendum on Kosovo (Radio KIM)

Leader of People’s Party (NS) Vuk Jeremic said the party started on Sunday collecting signatures for referendum on Franco-German proposal for Kosovo across Serbia, adding that referendum is the only non-violent and democratic tool to prevent “causing of irreparable damage to the Serbian national interests over the next couple of months”, Radio KIM reports.

“Because nothing else has the potential to stop implementation of “Franco-German” plan. If we remain sitting and doing nothing, those treacherous authorities will fulfil everything this plan envisages, including entry of “Kosovo” to international organisations”, Jeremic told journalists in Belgrade.

“We refuse that a single man decides on such an important issue and on our behalf betrays Kosovo and Metohija for the sake of him remaining in power. People must be asked about their future and for the future of the state. No one has the right to decide behind people’s back about such important issues”, Jeremic added.

Touching upon the statements that President Aleksandar Vucic by verbal consent to the Franco-German plan had put a full stop on Serbia’s acceptance of Kosovo statehood and its membership in international organisations Jeremic said those claims were inaccurate.

“That verbal consent obliges him only and nobody else. It is still not too late to avoid disaster”, Jeremic said.

“Some say there is no referendum on treason, and we say there is no treason with referendum”, he added. He said the initiative to collect signatures for referendum is supra-party and supra-political action, urging everybody carrying to preserve Kosovo to support the initiative for a referendum that would be obligatory for all Serbian state bodies.

Vucic to Milatovic: Serbia a reliable partner to Montenegro (FoNet, N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic congratulated Jakov Milatovic on his election as President of Montenegro, said a press release issued by Vucic’s office.

“I congratulate you on your victory in the presidential elections, believing that you will show strong will to ensure a life in peace and progress for the citizens of Montenegro”, Vucic said Serbia.

Vucic told the new Montenegrin President that Serbia will always be a reliable partner to Montenegro in developing political dialogue and strengthening cooperation between the two countries, as well as a solid support for a peaceful and stable Balkans.

In Montenegro’s presidential runoff held Sunday candidate of the Europe Now Movement Jakov Milatovic defeated by a landslide Democratic Party of Socialists candidate Milo Djukanovic, ending his 30-year rule.

Opinion

Vasic: There is a matrix in Kosovo that usurpers of Serb properties report owners for war crimes (KoSSev, Radio KIM)

“I deeply believe in one thing. It is that the war which took place a quarter of century ago by constant emphasis of everything that happened in that war and bringing it back makes it never ending”, lawyer Dejan A. Vasic told Radio KIM broadcast Dogovor. He also said both Serbs and Albanians committed war crimes, and all those should be held accountable.

Vasic over the years represented number of Serbs from Kosovo accused of war crimes with some of them getting convicted, said he believes in innocence of his clients, and among them are Zlatan Krstic, Gavrilo Mojsilovic, Caslav Jolic and Sladjan Trajkovic.

“The panels dealing with war crimes are politically instructed, or people working there fear for their positions, there are some who are prone to bigotry. I do not know, but can’t stop believing that those people are professionals. However, it turned otherwise, and I must fight it, but on real foundations, based on evidence”. Vasic said.

There is no verdict that genocide was committed in Kosovo

Commenting on statements of politicians on both sides regarding war crimes in Kosovo, Vasic opined it influences the past not to be forgotten and that “war somehow continues”.

Speaking of the fact that Kosovo Albanian politicians in their statements often refer to genocide, accusing Serbia of committing this serious criminal act, he said that Kosovo top officials should consult someone from the filed of criminal law to see first what genocide is about and if there is anyone in Kosovo being held responsible for genocide. “We could talk about this only if there would be some verdict on that, but it does not exist”.

He also said statements of the current Kosovo Albanian leadership reflect badly on the Serbian population.

“Are we all war criminals? Tomorrow they may arrest me or you for war crimes. The question is also how much it is permitted for executive power to interfere and comment on judicial power. Judicial power is independent”. Vlajic said, adding that no one must interfere in the work of the judiciary, let alone high ruling officials.

Hunt against former police officers?

Vasic also said that arrests of former Kosovo police members have become frequent. The last example was that of Miljan Jovanovic from Leposavic, arrested by mistake. Previously, Zlatan Arsic from Kamenica, and prior to him Sladjan Trajkovic and Dejan Pantic from Mitrovica North were arrested.

“I do not wish to believe that there is a hunt against police officers”, Vlajic said, noting that everybody believes that is the case, including police officers. “Why was Miljan taken to detention? For nothing. Why was Sladjan Trajkovic arrested? He lived the most calmly with his Albanian neighbours in Bosniak Mahala. He lived as if brotherhood and unity (values cherished during the times of former Yugoslavia) never stopped”.

Matrix to arrest Serbs for war crimes because of their properties

Vasic said that in Kosovo “there is a matrix, respectively the manner to accuse Serbs who have properties in Kosovo (for war crimes) by those who usurped their properties”.

“These are the cases of Dusko Arsic from Maticane, Milorad Djokovic from Vitomirica, but also of Gavrilo Milosavljevic from Istok, Caslav Jolic from Djurakovac. There is a property related issue, and those who have usurped immovable properties or plan to buy it for some price they set report the owners for the war crimes. They started dealing with Serb returnees by reporting them for war crimes and people got convicted because of that. Zlatan Krstic was convicted because of such a matter, Nenad Arsic is also convicted”, Vasic said.

He also spoke about trials in absentia for war crimes, verdict in the case of Ivan Todosijevic and also the process being held against defendants in the case of Oliver Ivanovic’s murder.

Janjic: Possible demonstrations, barricades, and even armed conflicts in the north of Kosovo (Beta, N1)

Political analyst Dusan Janjic said today that the announcement of the Serbian List that they will organize a national uprising was a consequence of the existence of a security vacuum in the north of Kosovo and the absence of dialogue regarding the return of Serbs to Kosovo’s institutions.

Janjic told Beta news agency that the Brussels and Ohrid agreements between Belgrade and Pristina do not have a security package and that “they do not imply the cooperation of the military and police” on the exchange of security data.

“The existence of a security vacuum and the absence of dialogue regarding the return of Serbs to Kosovo’s institutions can be a trigger for new demonstrations, and then barricades, and even armed conflicts,” Janjic opined.

According to him, the crisis in Kosovo is created by “conflict management”.

“Now we are witnessing a repetition of all the weaknesses of previous policies that were caused by conflict management on both sides. International mediators have repeatedly insisted on eliminating the causes of the conflict and moving on to talk about the normalization of relations. However, European bureaucrats did not take the quitting of Serbs from Kosovo’s institutions seriously,” Janjic said.

He added that the Government of Kosovo used the exit of Serbs from the institutions to strengthen the Kosovo state in the north, and the Serbian List lost its authority among the people during that time.

“The agreement between Belgrade and Pristina on the return of Serbs to institutions never happened. The Government of Kosovo elected Serbs who do not belong to the Serbian List to the ministries and organized local assemblies in the north without Serbs and announced vacancies for judges and police officers. All this has influenced the change in the ethnic structure because now, for example, a Bosniak is in charge of North Mitrovica, and an Albanian is in charge of Zubin Potok, which is absurd,” Janjic explained.

Urgent demilitarization of the north of Kosovo

The Serbian List, he added, made maximalist demands such as the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, “which was not accepted.”

“The talks on the implementation of the European agreement scheduled for July 4 in Brussels will look like an attempt to move from one building to another without a ladder. The whole project of normalizing relations may fail because of the security vacuum. With the normalization of relations, Serbian List would be a complete political loser, and now with the threat of a national uprising because of the licence plates, they are trying to show their existence,” Janjic opined and emphasized that the agreement on the use of KM plates was set for one year, until November 21 of this year, provided that Serbia does not issue new license plates.

Janjic pointed out that the demilitarization of the north of Kosovo should be conducted as a matter of urgency, that parapolice forces should be disarmed and the presence of Kosovo’s special units should be reduced to the smallest possible extent.

International

Former Kosovar President Thaci Opens War Crimes Trial With Plea Of Not Guilty (RFE)

Hashim Thaci has pleaded not guilty as the war crimes trial of Kosovo's ex-president and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) leaders kicked off in The Hague on April 3.

Thaci, who was a leader of guerrilla fighters, faces 10 charges for allegedly targeting those perceived as enemies of the KLA, including Serbs and Roma, as the group sought to seize power during an insurgency in 1998-99.

"I understand the indictment and I am fully not guilty," he told judges at the court in the opening stage of the hearing.

The other three KLA leaders on trial previously also denied the charges.

A commander of the UCK during the 1998-99 war, Thaci became popular in the young country in the years following its independence declaration and went on to lead Kosovo as president and prime minister at different times.

Thaci resigned as president of Kosovo in November 2020 after learning that The Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) had confirmed an indictment against him.

The KSC at the time said it was conducting ongoing operations in Kosovo that were being supported by Kosovar police and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX).

The KSC is mandated to look into allegations that members of the UCK committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1998-99 war to gain independence from Serbia.

It operates under Kosovar law but is based in The Netherlands to shield witnesses from intimidation.

The Council of Europe in 2020 said the charges against Thaci and the others relate to the alleged kidnapping and disappearance of at least 100 civilians, mostly Serbs and Roma, along with ethnic Albanian political opponents.

Humanitarian/Development

The Presidency and the Assembly lit up in blue on World Autism Day (media)

The buildings of the Presidency and of the Assembly of Kosovo have been symbolically lit up in blue, as a sign of solidarity with people with autism and in order to raise awareness about autism on all levels of society.