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Serbian Journalist Alleges Beating by Kosovo Police (Balkan Insight)

30 Jun 14 A reporter from Serbian public service broadcaster RTS claimed that he was beaten up while in police custody in the town of Gracanica in central Kosovo.
Ivana Nikolic
BIRN
Belgrade, Pristina
“They [police officers] pushed me against the wall, which is why I have bruises on my arms and a hematoma under my eye,” Andrija Igic told BIRN on Monday. Igic said that he was arrested on Friday because of “an alleged traffic violation and preventing an offi

Kosovo Serb Politician’s Custody Extended Again (Balkan Insight)

27 Jun 14 Oliver Ivanovic, accused of war crimes against Kosovo Albanians and murders after the 1990s conflict, will be held in custody for two more months despite Belgrade’s protests.
Marija Ristic
BIRN
Belgrade
A pre-trial judge at the Mitrovica Basic Court on Friday extended Kosovo Serb politician Ivanovic’s detention on remand until August 26, angering officials in Belgrade who insist that the case against him is politically motivated. “The pre-tri

UN Calls for Urgent Action on Kosovo’s Missing (Balkan Insight)

26 Jun 14 The authorities in Kosovo and Serbia must show stronger political commitment to finding more than 1,700 people still missing since the 1990s conflict, a UN delegation said in Pristina.
Edona Peci
BIRN
Pristina
“This political commitment and this institutional action by all the different actors needs to be taken with a sense of urgency,” Ariel Dulitzky, the chief rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, told

Kosovo Arrests 18 Over Mitrovica Barricade Unrest (Balkan Insight)

News 30 Jun 14 Kosovo Police arrested 18 people after an outbreak of unrest this month in the divided town of Mitrovica amid protests at the blockade of the main bridge by local Serbs. BIRN Pristina Police said that those arrested are suspected hooliganism, attacking officials, theft and illegal possession of weapons. The arrests followed violent incidents on June 22 when Kosovo Albanians, angered by new barricades erected by Serbs on the main bridge in Mitrovica, clashed with police. Several protestors and 13 police officers were injured, while protestors set six vehicles on fire and dama

Kosovo War Crimes Institute Accused of Inaction (Balkan Insight)

News 25 Jun 14After three years, the Kosovo War Crimes Research Institute has done almost nothing to document alleged atrocities by Serbian forces and has not published a single report, analysts said.
Edona Peci
BIRN
Pristina
The Institute, which was set up by the Kosovo government in 2011 to collect, process, classify and archive war crimes cases, has been accused of failing t

Post-Poll Row Throws Kosovo Politics into Limbo (Balkan Insight)

Kosovo is waiting for the constitutional court to clarify who should form a new government after recent elections, with the outgoing PM and his challengers both claiming the right to rule.
Edona Peci
BIRN
Pristina
Confusion has erupted over whether the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK - the party that won most votes in the recent general election in Kosovo - should automatically have the right to form the new government even though it appears unable to claim a majority in parliament. After opp

'Park' on Bridge Causes Confusion in Divided Mitrovica (Balkan Insight)

Serbs and Albanians in divided Mitrovica in northern Kosovo are eyeing the new 'peace park' set on the main bridge of the town, wondering what it means for the future. Valerie Hopkins, Edona Peci BIRN Mitrovica Serbs and Albanians in Mitrovica are eyeing the new barricade that has gone up in town, replacing the huge concrete and rock structure cleared away suddenly this week. While the old containers have been removed, cars still cannot cross the bridge because of a new “Peace Park” that Serbs have planted in the centre, composed largely of conifers in pots. “Yesterday the barricade was re

Kosovo Lawmaker Gunned Down Outside Restaurant (Balkan Insight)

Kosovo police have launched a probe into the murder of Elvis Pista, an MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo, who was shot dead in his hometown of Rahovec/Orahovac. BIRN Pristina Police have offered 10,000 euro reward for information after Pista was shot in the back several times in the early hours of Sunday morning when he was leaving a restaurant in Rahovec/Orahovac. The motive for the killing is so far unclear. Police said that “it is believed that the suspect was hiding behind a wall which was covered by some flowers and shot the victim with four bullets”. The killing was condemned b

UN Urges Kosovo to Help Refugees Return (Balkan Insight)

The UN refugee agency called on the authorities to ensure that people who fled Kosovo during the 1998-99 war have places to live and security if they choose to return home.
Marija Ristic
BIRN
Belgrade
The head of the UNHCR in Kosovo, Jo Hegenauer, urged the Pristina authorities on Friday “to enable the safe return of hundreds of displaced people from Kosovo” who are still living in Serbia, Montenegro,