UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 7, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Rasic: INTERPOL issued arrest warrant for Radoicic (RFE)
INTERPOL: We don’t comment on specific cases or individuals (Telegrafi)
Rohde: Unthinkable for NATO in Kosovo to be attacked (TeVe1)
KFOR trains for crowd riot control operations (Albanian Post)
Wilkes: We are ready to respond to any threat (Telegrafi)
Lajcak says there is progress in implementation of dialogue agreements (RFE)
Police confiscate motorboat in Zvecan belonging to Radoicic (media)
Police confiscate military uniforms and illegal tools in Mitrovica North (media)
Border police confiscated cigarettes worth over €110,000 in the north (media)
Rama: If Kosovo accepted my proposal, it would have had better results (media)
Assailants of Kosovo journalist sentenced to two years in prison each (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Milosavljevic pleaded not guilty at preliminary hearing in Pristina (Kosovo Online)
Defense lawyer of Zoran Kostic says health condition of his client extremely poor (Kosovo Online)
Deda: There is Constitutional Court decision, property must be returned to Visoki Decani Monastery (Kosovo Online, Klan Kosova)
Details of the warrant issued by Interpol for Milan Radoicic: 11 more persons wanted (nova.rs, media)
Is the EU closing its doors to Serbia? (VoA)
Davenport: Excellent discussion to support dialogue with religious communities’ representatives in Kosovo (media, social media)
Vucic in rare interview to independent weekly (N1, NIN)
Dacic: It is our obligation to preserve our shrines, most of which are in Kosovo (media)

International:

On Unlevel Playing Field, Serbian Opposition Eyes Belgrade as Springboard (BIRN)
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to receive Serbian passport, president says (abcnews.go.com)

Humanitarian/Development:

Government enables employment of women survivors of violence (Indeksonline)
Banushi: Some feelings you can’t convey with a lot of words (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media

Rasic: INTERPOL issued arrest warrant for Radoicic (RFE)

The International Criminal Police Organization, INTERPOL, has issued an arrest warrant for former deputy leader of the Serbian List, Milan Radoicic, about the armed attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo in September. The information was confirmed to the news website by Kosovo’s Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rasic. He said that the warrant was issued with the mediation of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) following a request by the Kosovo Ministry of Interior Affairs. As Kosovo is not a member of the INTERPOL, international arrest warrants are issued this way.

INTERPOL: We don’t comment on specific cases or individuals (Telegrafi)

The news website contacted INTERPOL today about reports of an arrest warrant against Milan Radoicic. “Please note that the Organization does not comment on specific cases or individuals. We advise you to contact the respective national authorities,” the organization said in a response. They also said that they don’t issue arrest warrants but international alerts which are known as “red notices”. “For your general information, INTERPOL does not issue arrest warrants, but upon requests from member states and after compliance checks, INTERPOL issues international alerts known as “Red Notices”.

Rohde: Unthinkable for NATO in Kosovo to be attacked (TeVe1)

German Ambassador Jorn Rohde, in an interview with the TV station on Wednesday, was asked to comment on a statement by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti who said that groups like those that attacked Kosovo Police in Banjska on September 24, are being trained in Serbia for an eventual new attack against Kosovo. Rohde said there is speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin will try to create problems wherever he can, “in order to shift the attention away from the killing and the aggression in Ukraine”. “But we have reacted. NATO has reacted by increasing security without changing the status quo,” he said.

“NATO is the third responder, as we could see in Banjska, the Kosovo Police was monitored by EULEX and KFOR, and KFOR was in full readiness to manage the situation. We publicly commended the government of Kosovo and the Kosovo Police for their professionalism during the reaction to the terrorist attacks. Germany will send another group of soldiers to Kosovo, and for me it is unthinkable that NATO could be attacked in Kosovo. But security needs to be complemented with an active political process. Let me repeat, being an ambassador in Kosovo, my main address is the Kosovo government. And now we advocate to convince them that we are your partners, and you need to have faith in us. We cannot overstate how often Germany was engaged in the visa liberalization process, in the membership bid for the Council of Europe, in the French-German proposal, and with special advisors coming here,” he said.

Rohde also said that Kosovo needs to meet its legal obligations, including the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, in order to become a full member of NATO and the Council of Europe. “We are your partner, and we want you to become a full member of the international community, European structures, NATO, and the Council of Europe. But you need to do your homework and one of them is the Association of Serb-majority municipalities,” he said.

KFOR trains for crowd riot control operations (Albanian Post)

NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, said in a Facebook post that the maneuver companies of the Italian Operational Reserve Force successfully completed their preparation for crowd riot control operations and familiarization which fire through a specific training activity called “Fire Phobia”. The post also notes that “KFOR is fully focused on the daily implementation of its mandate – based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 – to provide a safe and secure environment for all communities living in Kosovo and freedom of movement”.

Wilkes: We are ready to confront any threat (Telegrafi)

Commander of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment in KFOR, Charlie Wilkes, in an interview with the news website, talked about the security in Kosovo, especially in the north. He said KFOR remains committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all citizens of Kosovo. “What we have learned from the recent tensions is that although there are actors that would try to threaten the safe environment, we are well equipped to confront any threat that may appear in line with KFOR’s mandate from the UN,” he said.

Asked to comment on the security situation in the north, Wilkes said: “currently there are still people that will try to challenge the work of Kosovo Police and KFOR. Inhabited areas where we have spent considerable time during almost 100 days of constant activity, have shown that an incident does not represent the security situation of an entire zone, and we remain committed to protecting a safe environment for all citizens in Kosovo”.

Asked about his message for Kosovo citizens, Wilkes said “continue to be happy and proud. Kosovo is a beautiful country, and we are grateful for the opportunity to help NATO’s efforts. We will continue to work together with our international partners to ensure a safe environment in an unbiased way for all citizens of Kosovo”.

Lajcak says there is progress in implementation of dialogue agreements (RFE)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said today in Brussels that there is progress in the implementation of several agreements reached in the dialogue between the two parties. In his address at a debate for enlargement organized by the think tank “Friends of Europe”, Lajcak said that the European future of the Western Balkans cannot even be dreamed about without the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

“The normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is an issue of strategic importance. Without this normalization we cannot even dream about the European future. We have made progress in this respect. Soon we will close the file on energy. There is progress on the issue of plates, on the issue of missing persons, on the issue of local elections in the north and on the implementation of the agreement on the path toward normalization,” he said.

Lajcak said no time should be wasted in terms of implementing obligations from the dialogue and the chance to advance in the path toward the EU should not be missed.

“For the first time I see the EU more willing for the Balkans than the Balkans for the EU,” Lajcak remarked, adding that countries in the region need to resolve all open issues so that they won’t block one another on the path toward the EU.

Police confiscate motorboat in Zvecan belonging to Radoicic (media)

Several news websites report that Kosovo Police confiscated a motorboat on Wednesday in Zvecan which belonged to Milan Radoicic, former deputy leader of the Serbian List and leader of the armed group that attacked Kosovo Police in Banjska on September 24. Kosovo Police Deputy Commander for the north, Veton Elshani, confirmed the information to Albanian Post. “We were informed that there is a motorboat belonging to Milan Radoicic in Zvecan, and we went there and confiscated it,” he said.

Police confiscate military uniforms and illegal tools in Mitrovica North (media)

Kosovo Police, during an operation in Mitrovica North on Wednesday, confiscated in an uninhabited house several military uniforms, plastic handcuffs, and a shock bomb. Police said in their 24-hour report that no suspects were apprehended and that the case is under investigation.

Border police confiscated cigarettes worth over €110,000 in the north (media)

Kosovo’s Border Police arrested two persons on the Mitrovica-Jarinje main road who were illegally transporting cigarettes worth over €113,000, several news websites report. The arrest took place on Wednesday evening in the village of Bistrica, the municipality of Leposavic. Police said that after consulting with the state prosecutor, the case has been qualified as “prohibited trade” and the goods were handed over to Kosovo Customs.

Rama: If Kosovo accepted my proposal, it would have had better results (media)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said in an interview with A2CNN on Wednesday that when he proposed the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in June in an attempt to break the gordian knot in the dialogue, representatives of the Kosovo government refused it without even seeing it, and that four months later, they accepted a draft statute which according to Rama is worse than his proposal. “They saw it and they realized that it would have been wiser not to have rejected it categorically, and that they should have read it and gotten an even better result,” Rama said.

According to Rama, Kosovo should impose its recognition on Serbia only by sitting at the table of talks. He also said that Albania always maintained the right position on Kosovo. “I didn’t have any illusions about the public actors that I know, I don’t have positions to be modified. If I would go back, I would do the same again, and I am not conditioned in my positions. When Banjska happened, I held the right position, we shouldn’t be linear but flexible in our efforts to take the cause where we should, and this can be achieved only by defeating Serbia on the table, and to impose the recognition of Kosovo on the table,” he argued.

Assailants of Kosovo journalist sentenced to two years in prison each (media)

The Basic Court in Pristina ruled today that three people that attacked Kosovo reporter Valon Syla in April 2023 causing him light bodily injuries will serve a two-year sentence in prison each. After the court’s verdict, Syla said in a post on Facebook that “there is hope in Kosovo when we all do our job and are honest about it”.

Serbian Language Media

Milosavljevic pleaded not guilty at preliminary hearing in Pristina (Kosovo Online)

Gavrilo Milosavljevic from Istok, arrested under accusations of allegedly committing war crimes, pleaded not guilty at the preliminary hearing held at the Basic Court special department in Pristina, Kosovo Online portal reports.

The Prosecution charges Milosavljevic with alleged participation in mass murder of Albanian prisoners in Dubrava prison in the period from May 22 to May 24, 1999, when 109 prisoners were killed and 108 wounded.

Milosavljevic’s defense lawyer Dejan Vasic said he read the indictment but it was neither the place nor the time to speak of its grounds.

“I won’t even say that it is not known whether Gavrilo is really accused of killing all those 109 people. Is it possible to accuse someone of this, based on a statement of a single witness only?”, Vasic said.

He requested Milosavljevic be released on bail. Milosavljevic was arrested on December 2, last year and remains in detention ever since. The indictment against him was raised after almost a year following his arrest.

Following the 1999 conflict Milosavljevic was regularly visiting Istok and Kosovo, looking for his mother who was missing. He also planned to reclaim the ownership over the flat that his mother owned.

He was arrested on a day when he managed to receive a cadastral record about this flat in Istok.

Vasic: Milosavljevic fully innocent, complaint to court in relation to some evidence will be filed

Dejan Vasic, defense lawyer of Gavrilo Milosavljevic, following the preliminary hearing of his client today, said the defense will timely file a complaint to the court in relation to some evidence, which, he said, were obtained unlawfully but also because of everything else the indictment was lacking, Kosovo Online portal.

Vasic is also convinced it will be proven that Milosavljevic was innocent.

Defense lawyer of Zoran Kostic says health condition of his client extremely poor (Kosovo Online)

Predrag Miljkovic, defense lawyer of Zoran Kostic arrested in Priluzje village on September 20, this year, under accusations of allegedly committing war crimes told Kosovo Online that his client is in “an extremely poor health condition and should medical treatment in the hospital not be allowed to him, he fears the worst consequences”. Kostic remains in detention since his arrest.

“At the hearing on detention I have submitted to the judge complete medical documentation showing that Zoran Kostic (73) has been a cardiology patient for the last 30 years, suffers from hypertension and has a stent implanted. He is in very poor health. His heart works only 30 percent. That turned out to be correct on two occasions so far, however, as I see, we still haven't found the understanding of the institutions (…)”, Miljkovic said.

He added an additional problem is that his client was never told results of the examinations he underwent while in detention nor was he sent for additional tests or medical treatments.

Second time when his client got ill on December 5, the ambulance took him to the hospital from which he returned after a couple of hours and, as he said, he was told to go to chronography testing, but that did not happen, he was sent back to prison in Podujevo.

According to the lawyer, his client told his son this morning over the phone that he feels the same as when he suffered a heart attack, adding that he has informed on several occasions in written the judge, prosecutor, Ministry of Health and department concerning health facilities, Ministry of Justice, Correctional Service, Red Cross about this issue but no progress had been made.

He added if his client, following the situation from this morning, is not sent to additional examinations, extended one or medical treatment that he may face the worst consequence. He also claimed that Kostic was discriminated against at the Clinical Center in Pristina and he had irrelevant examinations there and that he will request from the judge to send Kostic to a private health facility for examination at the cost of his family members.

Deda: There is Constitutional Court decision, property must be returned to Visoki Decani Monastery (Kosovo Online, Klan Kosova)

Former Kosovo Assembly MP, Ilir Deda said the decision of the Constitutional Court on returning the property to Visoki Decani Monastery must be implemented, Kosovo Online portal reports citing Pristina-based Klan Kosova.

He told the Rubikon broadcast that arbitrage is underway because neither government implemented the decision following its inception in 2016.

“Arbitrage is a consequence of a fact that five Kosovo governments did not implement the decision of the Constitutional Court on Decani Monastery, and those were all Kosovo parties. And who can trust Kosovo any longer, if we ought to respect the law and rule of law, and not implement a Constitutional Court decision for seven years. Arbitrage is not an international court, it is a joint body of government, association and representatives of the European Union. It is not a court, but they refer to it as such, because there is no trust in Kosovo”, Deda said.

He added this all has a detrimental effect on Kosovo's position.

“I do not understand how property to Decani Monastery is not returned, there is a Constitutional Court decision, you have to implement it”, Deda said.

Details of the warrant issued by Interpol for Milan Radoicic: 11 more persons wanted (nova.rs, media)

Portal nova.rs reports today that Interpol issued an arrest warrant for the former vice-president of the Serbian List and controversial businessman Milan Radoicic and 11 other people for the events that took place on September 24 in Banjska, in the north of Kosovo.

Since Kosovo is not a member of INTERPOL, international warrants are issued through UNMIK.

Nenad Rasic, Minister for Communities and Return in the Government of Kosovo, confirmed to Nova.rs that an arrest warrant had been issued.

"Yes, that's right. It has been confirmed from the Ministry of Internal Affairs that an Interpol warrant has been issued for Milan Radoicic," Rasic told nova.rs portal.

Is the EU closing its doors to Serbia? (VoA)

Robert Cooper, former mediator in the technical dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia told VoA in Serbian language that by opposing the Ohrid Agreement and its Annex to become part of the negotiating chapter 35, Serbia is closing the door to membership in the EU.

With this attitude, the retired British diplomat reacted to the claim of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, that the inclusion of the documents agreed upon by Kosovo and Serbia in the first half of 2023 in the negotiation framework would mean that the union is closing the door to Serbia.

Chapter 35 in Serbia's accession negotiations includes neighboring relations - that is, the regulation of relations with Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008, recalled VoA.

"The EU does not want to be part of the problem, but to solve it. Its mission is that all members of the union have some kind of, not normal, but supernormal relations with their neighbors," said Cooper.

The talks between the two parties started after the ICJ, at the request of Serbia - in 2010 decided that the declaration of Kosovo's independence did not violate international law, wrote VoA.

The Union does not want division

"The idea of bringing Serbia into the EU, while refusing to recognize the independence of its neighbor and accept it as a separate state - is not at the core of the Union. This would strengthen the divisions between Serbia and Kosovo. What we want is for those divisions to disappear," Cooper told VoA.

At the summit of European leaders at the end of next week, the European Council should declare its conclusions on enlargement - a document that includes Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Turkey, Moldova, and Georgia.

In the draft that VoA had access to, it was recommended that the Ohrid Agreement and its annex, which defined the steps on the way to normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia, be included in the expectations and obligations of both parties.

"It is obvious that the sense of urgency dominates here. No one even remembers when the two sides achieved any significant breakthrough in the talks," notes Cooper - reminding of the upcoming elections for the composition of the European Parliament, which will be held in June 2024.

Normalization is part of the accession process

"The EU has always indicated that the legally binding comprehensive agreement on normalization is part of the accession path of the two countries of Serbia and Kosovo. It is less relevant in the case of Kosovo because there are currently no prospects for membership - since five EU member states do not recognize its independence," Toby Vogel - from the Brussels-based non-governmental Council for Democratization Policy - explains to VoA.

Vogel underlines that the current moment is much more important for Serbia - which has traveled a certain distance in the accession process.

Vogel told VoA that although Vucic refused to sign the Ohrid Agreement, the EU can include it into Chapter 35 independently, without his consent, adding “it seems to me that the EU, in some way, is trying to persuade him to accept the Ohrid Agreement - as something tangible, because this has not happened so far. Neither side acted on it – it was, until now, a dead letter''.

"Ever since the Ohrid Agreement was reached, the position of the EU, even though President Vucic refused to sign it, is that it is a legally binding agreement. It is a document to which both parties have verbally committed themselves. This is the moment when this will be checked," said Vogel.

The US expects from Kosovo and Serbia the implementation of all obligations of the Ohrid Agreement and the Annex

The United States called on the governments of Kosovo and Serbia to make concrete progress in fulfilling their obligations under the agreement on the normalization of relations reached in the dialogue mediated by the European Union.

"We expect both countries to fully implement all obligations arising from the Basic (Ohrid, prim.new) agreement and the annex," it was indicated in the answer to the Voice of America regarding the possibility of those two documents being included in the negotiation process of Serbia, i.e. chapter 35, as and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic claimed that this would mean that the EU is closing its doors to Serbia.

"The United States remains committed to supporting Serbia, Kosovo and other countries of the Western Balkans in the realization of their aspirations towards European integration and membership in Euro-Atlantic institutions," concluded the response to the VoA.

EU proposal - Agreement on the road to normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia

Article 1

The two sides will develop normal good-neighborly relations with each other, based on equal rights. Both parties will mutually recognize documents and national symbols of the other party, including passports, diplomas, license plates and customs stamps.

Article 2

Both parties will be guided by the goals and principles set forth in the United Nations Charter, especially the sovereign equality of all states, respect for their independence, autonomy and territorial integrity, the right to self-determination, protection of human rights and non-discrimination.

Article 3

In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the parties shall resolve all disputes between themselves exclusively by peaceful means and shall refrain from the threat or use of force.

Article 4

The parties start from the assumption that none of them can represent the other in the international sphere or act on its behalf.

Serbia will not oppose Kosovo's membership in any international organization.

Article 5

Neither party will block, nor encourage others to block, the other party's progress towards the EU on its own merits. Both parties will respect the values stated in Articles 2 and 21 of the Treaty on establishing the European Union.

Article 6

Although the current agreement represents a significant step in normalization, both sides will continue the dialogue process led by the EU with new momentum, which should lead to a legally binding agreement on the comprehensive normalization of their relations.

The parties agree to deepen future cooperation in the fields of economy, science and technology, traffic and connectivity, judicial and police relations, post and telecommunications, health, culture, religion, sports, environmental protection, missing and displaced persons and other similar areas through concluding specific agreements.

Details will be agreed in additional agreements in the EU-sponsored dialogue.

Article 7

Both parties undertake to establish special arrangements and guarantees, in accordance with the relevant instruments of the Council of Europe and relying on existing European experiences, in order to ensure an appropriate level of self-governance for the Serbian community in Kosovo and the ability to provide services in certain areas, including the possibility of financial support from Serbia and a direct channel of communication between the Serbian community and the Government of Kosovo.

The parties will formalize the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and provide a strong level of protection to Serbian sites, which are part of religious and cultural heritage, in accordance with existing European models.

Article 8

The parties will exchange permanent missions. They will be established in the seats of government. Practical issues related to the establishment of missions will be discussed separately.

Article 9

Both sides take into account the commitment of the European Union and other donors to establish a special investment and financial support package for joint projects of the parties in economic development, green transition and other key areas.

Article 10

The parties will establish a joint committee, chaired by the EU, to monitor the implementation of this agreement. Both parties will confirm their commitment to implement all previous agreements from the dialogue, which are still valid and binding.

Article 11

Both parties undertake to comply with the implementation roadmap attached to this agreement.

Davenport: Excellent discussion to support dialogue with religious communities’ representatives in Kosovo (media, social media)

Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Michael Davenport expressed gratitude to Prizren mayor and representatives of the religious communities in Kosovo, because of, as he said in a post, excellent discussion on supporting the dialogue and fostering the partnership, Kosovo Online portal reports.

“Huge thanks to Prizren Mayor Shaqir Totaj and distinguished representatives of Islamic, Serbian Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant Evangelical, Jewish, and Tarikats communities for an excellent @OSCEKosovo roundtable discussion to support dialogue & foster partnerships”, Davenport wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Vucic in rare interview to independent weekly (N1, NIN)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic gave an interview to Belgrade weekly NIN, a magazine considered by the authorities to be siding openly with opponents of the Serbian regime, reported N1.

Vucic and his associates lashed out at NIN a few years ago when the weekly published a cover story picture of the president at an arms fair with a rifle seeming to have been aimed at him.

Editor in Chief Milan Culibrk reminded readers that Vucic’s previous interview to the weekly was given 9 years earlier.

Vucic was asked about the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) campaign call center revealed by a CINS investigative reporter and replied that claims that it was paying its staff cash to avoid taxes would be investigated. He denied that the call center location is secret, adding that the party has at least 1,500 mainly volunteers in local branches. He said that a “small violation of the law” had been made and that a fine had to be paid.

The president also denied that members of the Belivuk organized crime group provided security for his inauguration in 2017, accusing the interviewer of inventing the claim. Vucic said the police report of close links between government General Secretary Novak Nedic and the Belivuk group proves nothing. “You can prosecute someone if a crime was committed, not based on news reports. The state is not a tabloid,” he said.

The president said he is not considering Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) leader Ivica Dacic for the post of prime minister. “The SNS is considering at least two people but none of them are Dacic,” he said. Vucic said that the SNS would win an absolute majority in parliament, adding that he “can’t find his way around in co-habitation”.

According to him, his election ticket won’t need the SPS to secure a majority nor will it need the national minority parties.

“If they win, I will congratulate them that same night. I will immediately say that I am prepared to discuss presidential elections in May or September 2024 because I know I can’t achieve any serious results like that. And that is the end of the story,” Vucic said.

Dacic: It is our obligation to preserve our shrines, most of which are in Kosovo (media)

Leader of Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) Ivica Dacic said today in Raska that everybody has the duty to preserve the holy shrines, most of which are in Kosovo, same as Serbian people and Serbian Orthodox Church, Kosovo Online portal reports.

Dacic visited Raska as part of his pre-election campaign. He said it was his honor to be in Raska, seat of an old Serbian state, religious and cultural epicenter of the Serbian people, adding that SPS bases its policy on ideas of socialism and patriotism.

International

On Unlevel Playing Field, Serbian Opposition Eyes Belgrade as Springboard (BIRN)

Serbia’s ruling Progressives are using everything at their disposal, fairly and unfairly, to win elections in December; the opposition has its sights on Belgrade, at the expense of working class votes.

At first glance, Serbia’s snap December elections offer more of the same – a smear campaign against the opposition in pro-government tabloids, the unfair exploitation of state resources by the ruling Progressive Party, and a president promising welfare handouts despite, officially, having no constitutional say over such policies nor any party position.

The parties in power are “abusing the institutions” in their election campaigns, “erasing the border between the state and the party”, Rasa Nedeljkovic, head of the Belgrade-based Centre for Transparency, Research and Accountability, CRTA, told a press conference on November 23.

The strategy looks likely to pay dividends at the parliamentary level, returning another Progressive-led government, but the difference this time could come in the capital, Belgrade, where pollsters are tipping the opposition to take power having narrowly missed out last year.

Humanitarian/Development

Government enables employment of women survivors of violence (Indeksonline)

As part of the campaign “16 days of activism against gender-based violence” the measure of employment of women survivors of violence was launched, the news website reports. Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the economic independence of women is an important pillar for individual development and freedom. He outlined the employment procedures provided by the scheme for women that are victims of domestic violence and said that the Ministry of Finance will subsidize a payment of 70 percent for six months. “We have implemented a series of measures. During the pandemic, we offered businesswomen investments loans in order to operate more easily in the market. Last year we made sure that every family has a better future and over 2,000 families with no employed members benefited from the assistance. All women that are victims of rape will benefit from this measure. Upon registration, employment advisors will be engaged with businesses that offer job opportunities. When women are able to secure their survival it will be easier for them to overcome the challenges they were faced with,” Kurti said.

Banushi: Some feelings you can’t convey with a lot of words (Kosovo 2.0)

A group of people gather on stage around the naked body of a woman. They bathe her, brush her hair and dress her. They wail together as they do this. They scatter handfuls of earth over her. They festoon her with flowers.

The theater piece “Goodbye, Lindita” was inspired by the death of director Mario Banushi’s stepmother. The 25-year-old Greek director, a child of Albanian immigrants, is a rising star in the Greek theater scene. He has channeled his experience of loss into an existential trilogy about life and death, of which “Goodbye Lindita” is the second part. This richly visual and wordless trio of pieces has earned him accolades at home and in the international press. His work is very personal, drawing on his own family history and Albanian heritage, his experience of grief and the rituals surrounding our entrances and exits into this world, as well as on Balkan folk traditions. His work merges religious and folkloric imagery, the domestic and the supernatural. It is tinged with the surreal. Hands emerge from picture frames, bodies convulse and people fly from windows.

After graduating as an actor from the Drama School of the Athens Conservatoire in 2020, Banushi wanted to direct. But because he was so young and without any previous directing experience, he struggled to find a theater in which his work could be performed. Ultimately, he staged his debut piece, “Ragada,” which was inspired by his mother, in an apartment in Athens, where it quickly became a hit with audiences. This led to him being commissioned by the National Theater of Greece to make the second part of the trilogy, “Goodbye, Lindita,” which opened earlier this year and now regularly sells out performances.