31 Oct 14 The family of three murder victims called for a retrial after allegations that an EU rule-of-law mission judge in Kosovo took a bribe to clear one of the suspects. Jeta Xharra, Petrit Collaku BIRN Pristina The scandal that hit the EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo (EULEX) this week when one of its prosecutors accused a judge of corruption has taken a new turn after the Baftiu family called for the murder case to be reopened in light of the claims that one suspect paid a bribe to avoid conviction. “Following the new testimonies that have surfaced in the media, we believe there is en

31 Oct 14 While Kosovo remains stuck in political deadlock, economists warn that the failure to form a government that can approve the budget risks pushing Kosovo into a fiscal limbo. Nektar Zogjani BIRN Pristina Ibrahim Rexhepi, an economic expert, said the five-month political deadlock in Kosovo on forming a new government following the general elections had damaged the economy - and worse is to come.

30 Oct 14 EULEX prosecutor Maria Bamieh and judge Francesco Florit spoke in detail to BIRN's Jeta ne Kosove TV programme about corruption allegations which have rocked the EU rule-of law-mission in Kosovo. BIRN Suspended prosecutor Maria Bamieh, who this week accused her former EULEX colleague, Italian judge Francesco Florit, of taking a 300,000 euro bribe to clear a man accused of murder and seeking another bribe in a corruption case against a Kosovo government official, spoke at length to the BIRN programme on Thursday evening about why she decided to go public. She criticised EULEX, sayin

30 Oct 14 The head of the EU’s Kosovo rule-of-law mission rejected one of its prosecutor’s claims that it ignored internal corruption allegations and insisted it was investigating the alleged graft. Petrit Collaku BIRN Pristina Gabriele Meucci, the head of EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, told a press conference in Pristina on Thursday that EULEX was probing allegations by suspended prosecutor Maria Bamieh that one of its former judges took bribes. “Due diligence has therefore been applied thoroughly, in line with what is at the heart of EULEX’s efforts, namely the fight against corruption

29 Oct 14 The Kosovo President is mulling whether to attend the Trilateral Commission in Belgrade, amid arguments that she should not attend a conference in a country that does not recognise her own. Nektar Zogjani BIRN Pristina Days before she is due to attend a major conference in Serbia, the President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, is still mulling whether to attend the event or not. Presidential spokesperson Arber Vllahiu confirmed that she had received an invitation, but said "the invitation is still being analyzed, including the protocol aspects surrounding it. "The public will be soon

29 Oct 14 An EU rule-of-law mission special prosecutor in Kosovo said that a senior official at the European judicial body took bribes to free suspects accused of serious crimes. Petrit Collaku BIRN Pristina Special prosecutor Maria Bamieh told BIRN that she discovered from records of phone surveillance in cases that she was investigating that an official at the EU rule-of-law mission (EULEX) took bribes to release suspects accused of murder and corruption. Bamieh, a British lawyer, said that she decided to speak out in order to deflect any possible accusation against her.

28 Oct 14 Kosovo's main journalists' union has called a protest rally in Pristina following an incident in which a member of the public stabbed a Klan Kosova journalist inside the TV studio. Nektar Zogjani BIRN Pristina Journalists in Kosovo are to hold a protest rally in Pristina following an alarming incident in which a journalist was stabbed at the workplace. Milot Hasmija, an editor with the Pristina-based Klan Kosovo television station, was stabbed in the neck and head several times on Monday by an intruder in the TV studio. Hasmija had interviewed the man who then demanded that he de

27 Oct 14 Ombudsperson’s case against judges’ reappointments to the Constitutional Court could disable the court and result in the President’s impeachment. Pristina Kosovo Constitutional Court has yet to decide whether it will hear a legal challenge questioning the legitimacy of the three international judges serving on it - and the President’s decree that confirmed their re-appointment. If the court agrees to hear the case filed on October 9 by Ombudsman Sami Kurteshi, it could render it

27 Oct 14 Kosovo Serb refugees called for US embassy in Pristina to protect their rights, claiming they are forbidden to return to their houses in Kosovo. Belgrade

27 Oct 14 In the village of Restelica, home to an unusual minority language-speaking community, parents must decide whether their children’s future is better served by a Kosovo education or a Serbian one. Una Hajdari Restelica The building in the mountain village of Restelica looks like many primary schools all over Kosovo, showing its age in its yellowing, cracked facade. Outside, rosy-cheeked kids chat amongst themselves. But when class starts, they file into different schools within the same building.