The Basic Court in Pristina decided the measure of one month detention for the three out of six Vetëvendosje activists arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of throwing explosive device at the Kosovo Assembly building. The other three activists were put on house arrest for one month.
The Vetevendosje Movement MP, Aida Derguti, was also arrested by the Kosovo Police today inside the premises of the Kosovo Assembly. Sources told the news site that Derguti was arrested because during the security check she had a pepper spray in her bag.
Vetevendosje’s organizational secretary, Dardan Molliqaj, said today he was confident that the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro will not be ratified by the Kosovo Assembly. “Peaceful protests will convince many members of parliament not to vote in favor of the demarcation. The protest will escalate only if there is provocation by the police,” Molliqaj said.
Kosovo Assembly MP from Vetëvendosje movement Albin Kurti, announced for the 1 September a peaceful pan-national protest against demarcation. He said that this protest will take place because “we cannot allow legitimization of treachery at the Assembly.”
Vetevendosje leader, Visar Ymeri, told a press conference in Pristina today that the Vetevendosje activists, who were arrested by police today over their alleged participation in a bomb attack on the Kosovo Assembly on August 4, are innocent and that the weapons seized during the raids today have nothing to do with the bomb attack. Telegrafi quotes Ymeri as saying, “the Kosovo Police is continuing to frame cases against Vetevendosje activists with the same methods previously used by the Serbian State Security Service”.
Kosovo Police arrested today six Vetëvendosje activists for possessing arms in their houses. The Spokesperson of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK,) Muharrem Nitaj said that they do not possess information on what happened and added that it is very difficult for them to make an assessment regarding the arrests.
Pristina-based news website Lajmi reports that six activists of the Vetevendosje Movement, have been arrested today over recent violent acts, such as the throwing bombs at the Kosovo Assembly and the Radio Television of Kosovo. Vetevendosje spokesman Frasher Krasniqi is also believed to be among those arrested. According to the news website, relatives of Vetevendosje leader Visar Ymeri are also among those arrested. They were reportedly found with arms and ammunition.
Supporters and members of the Vetëvendosje movement together with officials of the Socialist Party in Albania, announced for today at 12:00 hours a protest against demarcation of the border between Kosovo and Montenegro, in front of the Embassy of Kosovo in Tirana. The participants will be addressed by a delegation from Peja with representatives from Rugova villages at the border with Montenegro.
The Vetëvendosje Movement through a press release commented on the attack on the premises of the public broadcaster RTK on Monday night. “With the attempt to connect Vetëvendosje with last night’s attack on RTK, the management of this medium only confirmed that the RTK has become classic government propaganda. Last night's attack against RTK cannot be justified in any way, not because the RTK symbolize free speech, but because we do not think that such bomb attacks help any cause in Kosovo.
In an interview for Tirana-based Shekulli newspaper, Vetëvendosje leader Visar Ymeri said the opposition and his party are determined to reject the border-demarcation deal with Montenegro, “because Kosovo will lose over 8,200 hectares”. Ymeri said the Vetëvendosje Movement would use all its human and logistical capacity to prevent the current version of the border deal. “The government decided to send the draft law to the Assembly regardless of a recent open debate that showed that the agreement is unfair.