Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: Kosovo can unilaterally implement agreement, with guarantees from partners (media)
• Kurti says there was propaganda about handbook on sexual education (media)
• Kosovo and North Macedonia governments to meet today in Pristina (media)
• Krasniqi: Joint meeting of govts to discuss arrest of KLA veterans (media)
• Govt adopts two initiatives for cooperation with North Macedonia (Telegrafi)
• Kurti: Solidarity for football team’s stance in match against Romania (media)
• Kosovo institutions closed for the citizen of Tajikistan facing deportation (RFE)

 

Serbian Language Media:

 

• Municipal SUV recovered in Mitrovica: Alleged ties to Ex-Mayor Goran Rakic (KoSSev)
• The Football Association of Romania disappointed by the "premeditated behavior" of the Kosovo team: There were no racist chants (Beta, KoSSev)
• Election Campaigns in Kosovo: Is the North being used as a battleground? (KoSSev)
• M.D. arrested and detained for 30 days; lawyers argue prosecution's evidence baseless (Kosovo Online)
• Distrust and cultural stigma: Challenges faced by victims of sexual violence in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

 

 

Opinion: 

 

• Weber on Propaganda: How Kosovo Narratives Fuel Division (KoSSev, KiM radio)

 

International Media: 

 

• UEFA to rule after Kosovar players walk off in Romania amid claims of ‘racist’ chants (RFE)

 

 

Albanian Language Media 

 

Osmani: Kosovo can unilaterally implement agreement, with guarantees from partners (media)

 

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has left open the possibility of Kosovo unilaterally implementing the Basic Agreement from Brussels and the Implementation Annex from Ohrid if it gets guarantees from internationals that it will get new recognitions and membership in international organizations. “This is only my position and not necessarily a position of other institutions. This has to do with the ways we used in 2007-2008. When Serbia did not implement [agreements], we had our agreement with our partners and allies. When Kosovo unilaterally implemented the Ahtisaari Package, it won its independence, recognitions, membership in international organizations. If our international partners are interested in us to sit with them and Kosovo’s implementation of agreements to be linked with international support, security guarantees, recognitions and membership in international organizations. This would be a new situation,” she said.

 

Osmani also commented on the possibility of sending the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities to the Constitutional Court. “Prior to sending the draft statute to the Constitutional Court, the government needs to adopt a legal act. Namely, without such an act, no one can send the draft statute to the Constitutional Court. The procedures are clear. The Court has clarified the procedure,” she argued. 

 

Kurti says there was propaganda about handbook on sexual education (media)

 

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a Facebook post on Sunday that the hybrid war against the government has intensified. Commenting on reactions to the handbook for teachers on sexual education, he said that there was a wild propaganda campaign with manipulative content. “In the last couple of days, we have been targeted by a wild propaganda campaign, numerous discussions and comments with manipulative content and an effort to create unfounded cases. Without any interest for the full truth and for criticism in the service of improvement and progress, representatives of political parties and commentators that aspire to enter politics, engaged in attacks against the government by claiming to be guardians of families. Every claim they made turned out to be untrue. The handbooks were never a curriculum, school texts, mandatory classes, or mandatory texts for pupils,” he said.

 

Kurti said that the handbook was drafted in 2016 when Arsim Bajrami from the PDK was Minister of Education, and that it was adopted in 2020 when Hykmete Bajrami from the LDK was Minister of Education, and it was published on the webpage of the Ministry in August 2023. He also said that the government has expressed readiness to review the content of the handbook that does not contain appropriate language and does not match the context or standards of education. “On Friday, our Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, decided to remove the handbooks for teachers from use and to review them, and the respective committee will include all relevant parties, including of course the Council of Parents of Kosovo,” he said.

 

Kosovo and North Macedonia governments to meet today in Pristina (media)

 

The governments of Kosovo and North Macedonia will hold a joint meeting in Pristina today and are scheduled to sign several bilateral agreements. After the signing ceremony, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and North Macedonia Prime Minister Nikola Mickoski will hold a joint press conference. 

 

Krasniqi: Joint meeting of govts to discuss arrest of KLA veterans (media)

 

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, said on Sunday that in their joint meeting on Monday, the governments of Kosovo and North Macedonia, should also discuss the arrests of veterans of the former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in North Macedonia. “The government of Kosovo must be adamant that such cases which are happening now with the government in North Macedonia do not happen again. Today, no veteran of the KLA is safe to cross the border into North Macedonia, because of the risk that this country is enforcing the arrest warrants that Serbia has issued against the freedom fighters,” he said. 

 

Krasniqi also said that the government of Kosovo, and especially Albanian politicians that are part of the government of North Macedonia, must raise their voices and engage so that the use of the Albanian language is not denied to anyone and anywhere. “Any effort to violate these rights should stop at once,” he said.

 

Govt adopts two initiatives for cooperation with North Macedonia (Telegrafi)

 

The Kosovo government in an online meeting adopted two important initiatives to further cooperation with North Macedonia, on the implementation of the agreement for joint border crossing points, and a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the energy sector, in line with the policies and strategies of both sides. 

 

Kurti: Solidarity for football team’s stance in match against Romania (media) 

 

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a Facebook post on Sunday that he visited the players of the Kosovo football team. “Football is not only a game. It is also a representation. Therefore, today I met our players who make us proud whenever they go out on the pitch, to commend them on their beautiful and dominating game against Romania, and to express full solidarity with their principled, fair and valuable stance for Kosovo and for football,” Kurti said.

 

The Kosovo football team left the match against Romania on Friday after some Romanian fans chanted “Serbia, Serbia” and “Kosovo is Serbia”. The manager of the Kosovo team said this was the second time such chants were heard at the same stadium. 

 

Kosovo institutions closed for the citizen of Tajikistan facing deportation (RFE)

 

A Tajik citizen who has lived in Kosovo for more than 20 years is facing a deportation order from Kosovo for reasons that have not been officially disclosed, the news website reported on Friday. Although local media reported that she is suspected of spying for Russia, Kosovo institutions are not allowed to disclose any information on the matter while she is currently detained in a detention camp for foreigners.

 

Her relatives in Tajikistan have confirmed that they have been in contact with her.

 

Sitora Atomamadova, a woman from Tajikistan who has been living in Kosovo for years, is being held in the detention center for foreigners in Vranidoll near Kosovo’s capital Pristina after receiving a deportation order from Kosovo. This center is a special place for foreign citizens who, for one reason or another, are awaiting deportation or undergoing various checks by Kosovar institutions.

 

According to her lawyer, Atomamadova was arrested in early November after the Kosovar authorities rejected her application for citizenship and revoked her permanent residence permit in Kosovo.

 

On November 5, local media reported that Atomamadova is suspected of having links to Russian espionage, although there has been no official confirmation of this from the Kosovo authorities.

 

Radio Free Europe learned that the Tajik citizen was detained following the deportation order issued by Kosovo’s Ministry of Interior, which according to her lawyer Labinot Vata was issued without justification.

 

“The law gives the right not to give reasons (in the decision) if Kosovo’s security institutions consider that this poses a threat to Kosovo’s security,” Vata said. However, according to him, “there is no evidence or proof that (the institutions) have informed us or at least informed us that it poses a threat to Kosovo’s security”. He also added that Atomamadova has no open problems with the justice system in Kosovo. The main and special prosecutor’s offices in Pristina have also confirmed that no case is pending against her.

 

Vata also said he has appealed against the deportation order for Atomamadova and the revocation of her residence permit. He is currently waiting for the decision.

 

At the same time, Atomamadova has applied for asylum and is currently undergoing a review process by Kosovar institutions. The Kosovo Ministry of Interior did not provide any further information on the case, nor did the Kosovo Police.

 

Radio Free Europe contacted the Kosovo Intelligence Service, which by law carries out security checks on foreigners, and asked if it had issued a statement on the case, but received no response before the publication of this article.

 

Although she is not currently available for a live interview, her lawyer told RFE/RL that his client has been living in Kosovo since 2001. He said that according to his client, she had worked or been engaged as a translator for reputable local and international organizations and had completed nursing training.

 

The organizations mentioned include the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the NATO peacekeeping mission (KFOR). Radio Free Europe contacted these institutions to confirm these allegations and is awaiting their response.

 

In addition, according to her lawyer, Atomamadova stated that the Ministry of Interior employed her several times as a translator for Afghan refugees in Kosovo. “She worked as a translator, as a good speaker of different languages,” Vata said, adding that his client had been integrated into Kosovar society during those years.

 

The Tajik service of Radio Free Europe, known locally as Radio Ozodi, contacted Atomamadova’s family, who confirmed that she had been living in Kosovo for a long time.

 

Atomamadova was born in 1972 in the city of Khorog in Tajikistan and left her country in the early 2000s. Her family claims she has no ties to Russia, although she visited the country ten years ago to meet her mother, who was visiting another family member.

 

According to her family, she worked in Kosovo several times as a translator and even as an English teacher.

 

In recent years, six citizens of Tajikistan have been deported or extradited from various European countries.

 

Serbian Language Media 

 

Municipal SUV recovered in Mitrovica: Alleged ties to Ex-Mayor Goran Rakic (KoSSev)

Municipal officials in North Mitrovica, in coordination with the police, have recovered a white Nissan SUV from the second floor of the “Sutjeska” public garage. The vehicle, registered with official plates from the Mitrovica region, had been missing for over a year, according to police reports. The recovery occurred after routine inspections carried out by municipal inspectors and Kosovo Police officers, reported KoSSev on Saturday.

Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Police for the northern region, Veton Elshani, confirmed that the vehicle was identified by matching its chassis number to a municipal vehicle reported missing a year ago.

“When we identified the vehicle, we traced the keys to an individual from North Mitrovica, N.E., who surrendered them today,” Elshani stated to local outlet KoSSev.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/2f5ve67m

The Football Association of Romania disappointed by the "premeditated behavior" of the Kosovo team: There were no racist chants (Beta, KoSSev)

The Football Association of Romania expressed its disappointment due to the "premeditated behavior" of the Kosovo team in the match that was interrupted on Friday night in the League of Nations, reported KoSSev on Saturday.

The match was stopped in the overtime match when there was a conflict between the players of both teams, and the Kosovo players left the field as they were allegedly upset when they heard pro-Serbian shouts from the stands.

"The Football Association of Romania expresses its deepest disappointment regarding the behavior of the Kosovo delegation and its players. We believe that the accusations of the Kosovo side are unfounded, and we firmly believe that their actions were premeditated," the statement of the Alliance states. The association denied that there were offensive chants by Romanian fans.

"It is important to emphasize that there were no racist chants during the match and that the slogan 'Kosovo is Serbia' was never chanted. We are sorry that the players decided to leave the field and go to the dressing room just two minutes before the referee's final whistle, considering that the result was not favorable for Kosovo," the statement added.

At the time of the break, the score was 0:0, and that score corresponds to Romania, which is the first in the group with three points more than Kosovo.

Election Campaigns in Kosovo: Is the North being used as a battleground? (KoSSev)

As Kosovo gears up for its parliamentary elections scheduled for February 9, 2025, political tensions are mounting, particularly in the northern municipalities. Opposition parties accuse Prime Minister Albin Kurti of exploiting the North for electoral gain, while Serbian officials echo concerns that Kosovo’s ruling party is intensifying pressure on the region’s Serb minority.

Election Context: A First Full-Term Government

Kosovo’s current government, led by Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement (Vetëvendosje), is the first administration since 2008 to serve a full four-year term.

President Vjosa Osmani formally announced February 9th as the election date, signalling the official start of campaigning post-New Year.

Yet, political observers argue the campaign has been underway for months, marked by contentious policies and escalated rhetoric.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/mr3jnm7h

M.D. arrested and detained for 30 days; lawyers argue prosecution's evidence baseless (Kosovo Online)

M.D. from Babin Most, who was arrested on Friday in North Mitrovica, has been placed in 30-day detention by the Basic Court in Pristina, confirmed his lawyers Nebojsa Dancetovic and Bogdan Lazic.

M.D. is accused of four criminal offenses related to his participation in a protest in Zvecan in May last year, stated his defense attorney, Nebojsa Dancetovic.

“My client is charged by the prosecution with four criminal offenses: Attacking the Constitutional Order, Endangering Persons Under International Protection, Attacking Officials, and Participation in a Mob Committing the Criminal Offense of Hooliganism,” Dancetovic emphasized.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/38nxyu39

Distrust and cultural stigma: Challenges faced by victims of sexual violence in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Sexual violence and harassment in Kosovo are widespread, with minors making up the majority of victims in most cases. According to research, nearly 50% of women in Kosovo have been subjected to some form of sexual harassment. While women from all communities south of the Ibar River have been targeted for decades, the number of cases in the north has risen over the past two years. Distrust in institutions and societal judgment are some of the reasons women choose not to report sexual harassment, while the punishments for perpetrators remain inadequate, say the interlocutors of Kosovo Online.

The public in the region was particularly shocked by the case of the gang rape of an 11-year-old girl in Pristina two years ago.

That horrific incident sparked a wave of protests in Kosovo, during which demonstrators demanded not only the protection of women and girls but also the resignation of those responsible. This led to the resignation of Kosovo Police Director Samedin Mehmeti and the Director of the Directorate for Prisoner and Juvenile Management, Ali Gashi.

The five men who committed the crime were sentenced to a total of 62 years in prison, a verdict deemed scandalous and unacceptable by the Kosovo Women’s Network.

Two years after that heinous crime, the situation in Kosovo remains unchanged. According to data from the Kosovo Police, 64 cases of rape were reported in the first nine months of this year. A significant number of victims are still minors.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/4juttc22

 

Opinion 

 

Weber on Propaganda: How Kosovo Narratives Fuel Division (KoSSev, KiM radio)

Propaganda and fake news on social media are increasingly shaping public opinion worldwide. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Western Balkans, where nationalist narratives about Kosovo fuel tensions and exacerbate divisions. Bodo Weber, a seasoned analyst of the region, draws parallels between today’s online disinformation campaigns and the war propaganda of the 1990s, warning of the grave consequences such narratives hold for peace and interethnic relations.

Speaking to KoSSev in Berlin, Weber described the manipulation of public discourse through propaganda as a long-standing issue that has transitioned from traditional media to social platforms.

„What is happening now reminds me of the war propaganda of the 1990s,“ he remarked, noting the global rise of nationalism that started in the 1990s and has now gained traction in the West.

Kosovo Propaganda Mirrors the Past

In discussing coverage of Kosovo, Weber underscored the role of propaganda originating from Belgrade. He contends that since 2013, the Serbian government, led by President Aleksandar Vučić, has intentionally employed propaganda to influence public opinion on the Kosovo issue.

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

 

 

International Media 

 

UEFA to rule after Kosovar players walk off in Romania amid claims of ‘racist’ chants (RFE)

 

European football's governing body is expected to announce a decision following a Nations League match between Romania and Kosovo in Bucharest that was abandoned in stoppage time on November 15 after Kosovar players left the field complaining of "racist" abuse.

 

The Kosovar players headed for the dressing room in the 92nd minute with the game heading for a goalless draw after some spectators chanted, "Serbia! Serbia!" during a scuffle between Kosovo captain Amir Rrahmani and Romanian striker Denis Alibec.

 

The Football Federation of Kosovo on November 16 warned that it will submit a complaint to UEFA for what it said were "provocations and racist behavior" of Romanian fans during the match.

 

Kosovo national team manager Bajram Shala said the decision to abandon the match was made by the Kosovar federation, coach Franco Foda, and the players after "racist calls" against their country.

 

"We, as a federation, coach and team, have decided not to participate in a match where the fundamental values of UEFA are not respected. Not only were the values not respected, but there was racial discrimination, so we decided we couldn't allow that. It's happening for the second time in the same stadium from the fans," Shala said at a press conference in Bucharest.

 

The captain of the Kosovo team, Amir Rrahmani, said that Romanian fans chanted, "Serbia, Serbia," and, "Kosovo is Serbia," and that he had informed Danish referee Morten Krogh "at least three times" that his team would leave the field.

 

The Romanian team remained on the pitch for about an hour before the referee decided to abandon the game after the Kosovar players refused to return.

 

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been recognized by more than 100 countries, but not Romania and other four EU states -- Spain, Cyprus, Greece, and Slovakia.

 

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/XNa2D