UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, August 5, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti today in Skopje to meet PM Mickoski and government cabinet (Klan)
Osmani: "Sinjska Alka", event that honors heroic resistance of Croatian soldiers (media)
Fetai meets Gervalla after incident with Osmani in Skopje (media)
Five suspects arrested for war crimes against Albanian civilian victims (media)
About five thousand citizens converted their driver's licences to RKS (RTK)
Albanians of the Valley warn of protest due to passivisation of their addresses (RTK)
Reactions on murder of woman in Gracanica: One less woman, one more murderer! (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

Kosovo Authorities Arrest Five Serbs in War Crimes Probe, Sparking Outcry from Serbian Officials (KoSSev, media)
“The Diocese of Raška and Prizren Deeply Concerned About Recent Arrests of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija and the Deterioration of Interethnic Relations” (eparhija-prizren.com)
Protest today in Pasjane due to the arrest of Serbs (Kosovo Online)
Lawyers: No reasonable doubt that the arrested Serbs committed the criminal offenses they are charged with (Kosovo Online)
Bocan-Kharchenko: Kurti carrying out terror in Kosovo (Vecernje Novosti, Kosovo Online)
Ristanovic: Gazivode is the legacy of the SFRY, it was not built with Kosovo's funds (Kosovo Online)

International Media:

Kosovo’s president involved in Macedonian airport scuffle, sparking diplomatic row (politico.eu)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti today in Skopje to meet PM Mickoski and government cabinet (Klan)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, accompanied by government cabinet ministers, will start an official visit to North Macedonia, on Monday starting at 10 o'clock, to meet with the heads of the North Macedonian state, starting from PM Hristijan Mickoski, then with the ministers of the government cabinet.

The spokesperson of the Government, Perparim Kryeziu, told the news website that ‘bilateral relations of both countries will be on the agenda, with infrastructure projects of special interest.’ Kryeziu said that this visit was agreed on July 20.

Kurti’s visit comes after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo has sent a note of protest to the Republic of North Macedonia, asking for clarifications and information on the airport incident with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani.

Meanwhile, the Macedonian MFA has expressed regret for the case, saying that they are handling the case.

Osmani: "Sinjska Alka", event that honours heroic resistance of Croatian soldiers (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani participated on Sunday in the ancient traditional organisation called "Sinjska Alka" held in the city of Sinj in Croatia, at the invitation of President Zoran Milanovic. In an announcement on Facebook, Osmani, among other things, thanked Milanovic for the invitation.

“Thank you to President Zoran Milanovic for the invitation to join our Croatian friends in Sinjska Alka this year! In the presence of thousands of Croatian citizens and together with state leaders of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, we marked Sinjska Alka, one of the most important events for the Croatian people, which honours the heroic resistance of Croatian soldiers, through a series of cultural activities," Osmani wrote.

Fetai meets Gervalla after incident with Osmani in Skopje (media)

The Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Arben Fetai, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gervalla, after the incident between the security of Skopje Airport and Kosovo's president, Vjosa Osmani.

Fetai announced that he informed Gervalla that the North Macedonian institutions are conducting the necessary investigations and responsibility will be taken for the violations that will be found.

"I listened to the concerns of the Minister, who informed me that there has been inappropriate behaviour towards the high delegations of the Republic of Kosovo repeatedly over the years by the security personnel engaged by the company in question".

"We agreed that the interstate relations between North Macedonia and Kosovo are excellent and that we will jointly commit to deepen them even further, on the basis of partnership, as allied states that share common values and are connected closely on every level", Fetai wrote.

Five suspects arrested for war crimes against Albanian civilian victims (media)

A months-long investigation by the Special Prosecutor's Office led to the arrest of five people suspected of committing war crimes against Albanian civilian victims. The Special Prosecutor's Office has announced that in April 1999, in several villages of the Municipality of Gjilan, five persons killed, injured, burned, kidnapped, raped, mistreated and tortured Albanian civilians.

In addition to the victims, these five are also suspected of a number of other damages to buildings as well as the eviction of the population.

"In the context of this action, by order of the Special Prosecutor, the persons with the initials: D.C., D.N., N.S., S.J., M.Sh., were detained, with reasonable suspicion that the same, in complicity with other unidentified members of this the group, armed and dressed in camouflage uniforms and non-regular uniforms of the Serbian police or army, on 05.04.1999, in the early hours of the morning, had undertaken an action in the villages of Inatoc (Kokaj), Llovce, Pograge and Uglar, where they had purposely and deliberately killed, injured, burned alive Albanian civilian victims, taken hostages, raped, beaten, mistreated, physically and mentally tortured, looted, destroyed the properties of Albanians and burned them, expelled the Albanian civilian population, and abused cultural and religious objects, these actions are sanctioned according to local laws, customs of war and the Geneva International Conventions and Additional Protocols", announced the Prosecutor's Office.

The Basic Court in Pristina has set a one-month detention measure for five Serbs from the Gjilan region who are suspected of committing war crimes against Albanians 25 years ago, including burning civilians alive.

About five thousand citizens converted their driver's licences to RKS (RTK)

The deputy director of the Kosovo Police for the northern region, Veton Elshani, told RTK that by August 2, 4,836 driver's licences issued by Serbia, had been converted.

"1435 driver's licences were converted in Leposaviq, 1208 in North Mitrovica, 758 in Zubin Potok, 880 in Zvecan, 177 in Gracanice, 69 in Kamenica, 53 in Shterpce, etc.," he said.

The application process for driver's licence conversion began in May of this year. The deadline for changing driver's licences expires on August 9. After this date, it will no longer be possible to use Serbian driver's licences, which were issued to citizens of Kosovo.

Albanians of the Valley warn of protest due to passivisation of their addresses (RTK)

The Albanian National Council in the Presheva Valley has called for nationwide protests in response to the passivation of addresses by the Serbian authorities.

The head of the Albanian National Council, Nevzad Lutfiu, through a video recording on Facebook, has emphasised that this process has brought serious consequences for the inhabitants of the Valley, depriving them of the right to vote and forcing them to leave their lands.

"Serbia's discrimination against the Albanian community has reached the limits of racism. There is no Albanian family left untouched by this process. For this reason, we are preparing to organise a peaceful, popular protest in the three cities of the Valley," said Lutfiu.

Reactions on murder of a woman in Gracanica: One less woman, one more murderer! (RTK)

The President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani has reacted to Friday's murder in Gracanica where the victim is a woman. Osmani wrote that she is horrified and outraged by this murder and that such atrocities should no longer be tolerated.

"Horrified and outraged by the brutal murder of the woman M.Z. from the hands of her husband in Gushtericete Poshtme in the municipality of Gracanica. Such atrocities that continue to attack our society must not be tolerated. This cruel act is not an isolated incident, but a disturbing act of violence against women that requires immediate and decisive action," she wrote on Facebook.

Osmani emphasised that justice institutions must ensure that through the correct implementation of laws and sentencing guidelines, they put an end to femicide.

"Unfortunately, we often see cases where the perpetrators are released with much lower sentences than those provided by law", President Vjosa Osmani wrote as she expressed her deepest condolences to the victim's family.

The Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, also reacted after the death of a woman from Gracanica, who was reported to have been beaten by her husband two days ago.

"Cases of violence and murders of women are a frightening and unacceptable reality, and we are continuously committed to raising social awareness in order to prevent cases of violence and femicide and that the perpetrators and killers of women receive the maximum punishment," Haxhiu wrote on Facebook.

The Minister of Justice further said that it is necessary for the responsible institutions to commit to a system that guarantees that every case of violence is treated with the seriousness it deserves and that the perpetrators and killers are held accountable.

The Network of Women's Organizations in Kosovo expressed shock at the latest murder, while this organisation says that they are gathering information to understand more about this case.

Serbian Language Media

Kosovo Authorities Arrest Five Serbs in War Crimes Probe, Sparking Outcry from Serbian Officials (KoSSev, media)

Kosovo’s Special Prosecutor’s Office and Kosovo police have arrested five Serbian nationals from the Pomoravlje region, accusing them of war crimes committed during the 1999 conflict. The detainees, including five individuals from the village of Pasjane, face allegations related to violent acts including murder, arson, and sexual assault against Albanian civilians.

The arrests have drawn significant controversy. Serbian officials, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have condemned the move as a form of collective punishment targeting the Serbian community. They argue that the detained individuals are innocent local residents being unfairly targeted due to their ethnicity and the upcoming election cycle. Serbian authorities claim these actions threaten the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and urge international bodies to intervene.

Defence lawyers representing the detained Serbs have challenged the allegations, arguing that the accusations are baseless. They have requested a more lenient pre-trial detention measure, citing the advanced age and poor health of their clients. A €10,000 bond has been offered, and the defence team contends that the detention is an excessive and unjust measure.

Read more at:https://t.ly/1TjLI

Protest today in Pasjane due to the arrest of Serbs (Kosovo Online)

Residents of Serbian communities in Kosovo Pomoravlje will gather tomorrow at noon for a peaceful protest regarding the arrest of five of their neighbours and compatriots, it was announced on several social networks, reported Kosovo Online.

The protest will be held in Pasjane, where four Serbs were arrested on charges of alleged war crimes, while the fifth Serb was detained in the village of Bosce.

Slobodan Jevtic, Dragan Nicic, Milos Sosic, Milos, Dragan Cvetkovic and Nenad Stojanovic were ordered 30 days custody.

Lawyers: No reasonable doubt that the arrested Serbs committed the criminal offenses they are charged with (Kosovo Online)

Lawyers for the Serbs from Pasjane, arrested by the Kosovo police, stated after a hearing at the Basic Court in Pristina that they proposed to the court the measures of house arrest or bail, and emphasised that there is no reasonable doubt that the five Serbs committed the criminal offences they are charged with by the Prosecution.

Lawyer Vasilije Arsic announced that an investigation has been initiated against eight Serbs who are suspected of alleged war crimes.

"An investigation has been initiated for eight suspects for war crimes. I am the lawyer for Dragan Nicic, who is accused of the criminal offences of murder and the arson of an Albanian civilian. Based on the Prosecution's evidence, we believe there are no elements of the criminal offence of war crimes, but we will see what the investigation will show. The Prosecution has evidence that they have not presented to us and are keeping it secret. Today's hearing was for the determination of detention measures; we, as the defence, proposed the possibility of bail of 10,000 euros and the measure of house arrest," said Arsic.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5n95647a

Bocan-Kharchenko: Kurti carrying out terror in Kosovo (Vecernje Novosti, Kosovo Online)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is carrying out terror in Kosovo, Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Bocan-Kharchenko told Novosti, adding that it is not realistic that the West cannot influence it, reported Kosovo Online.

"It is a false story, hidden under the veil of several Western statements, that he is supposedly being asked to do something, but in fact everything is a fraud for the public," said the Russian ambassador.

When asked if Russia would be ready to protect them militarily in the event of a new pogrom against the Serbs in Kosovo, Bocan-Kharchenko said that there is a theoretical possibility for this, bearing in mind the very difficult situation, but that there is also the possibility of a political solution and calming the situation, in order to ensure security for Serbs in Kosovo.

"I understand your question, but in order not to make theoretical schemes, it is better to talk about political matters. In any situation that is extremely important for Serbia, Russia will always be with it and the Serbian people, and this has been confirmed by our state leadership more than once. But now we are taking advantage of the political opportunities, primarily those arising from permanent membership in the UN Security Council. The West therefore wanted to reduce the role of the SC to zero and instead we got talks about normalization within the EU, which we see in which direction they are going. Here, the CSM (ZSO) has not come to life, and it will not, at least it seems so, and this shows that there is nothing out of such talks,'' said Bocan Kharchenko to Novosti.

He said that, in any situation that is extremely important for Serbia, Russia will always be with it and the Serbian people, which, he reminds, has been confirmed from Moscow several times.

When asked if he believes that the President of Serbia will resist the pressure and will not impose sanctions on Russia, he replied that he has never heard any questionable attitude from Vucic that would make one think that a change in Serbia's policy is possible.

"I think it will remain that way," said Bocan-Kharchenko among other things, reported Kosovo Online.

Ristanovic: Gazivode is the legacy of the SFRY, it was not built with Kosovo's funds (Kosovo Online)

Dr. Petar Ristanovic, a research associate at the Institute for Serbian Culture in Leposavic, told Kosovo Online that claims by politicians from Pristina that Gazivode was built with Kosovo's funds are fundamentally inaccurate because Serbia is still paying off the 1972 loan from the World Bank.

Ristanovic explains that this hydro system on the Ibar River was constructed after extensive preparations as one of the crucial projects for the development of Kosovo.

"The idea was to create the large Ibar-Lepenac system, which was intended to generate electricity, provide water supply for most of Kosovo, and, of course, bring economic profit to the province. Thus, in 1972, a loan was taken from the World Bank, and the construction of the project began. After 12 years, only part of it was completed. Lepenac, the other half, was never built," our interlocutor notes.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/3b8y7zdc

International Media

Kosovo’s president involved in Macedonian airport scuffle, sparking diplomatic row (politico.eu)

The incident was “unprecedented,” Vjosa Osmani’s spokesperson said.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani was involved in a scuffle with airport security in Skopje on Thursday that grew into a diplomatic altercation.

The incident began when Osmani, who was travelling from the Macedonian capital to Slovenia, refused to hand over her mobile phone to airport security, who asked to scan it, Egnesa Vitia, an adviser to the president, told Kosovo media.