UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 14, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani meets Meloni, “count on leadership” (media)
Kurti travels to Brussels, invited by leader of European Socialists (media)
Kurti: Serbia still hiding the truth about Panda case (media)
Haxhiu: Early marriages in RAE communities, most unaddressed issue (media)
KSF and Albanian Army hold joint drill in Albania (media)
European Judo Championship to be held in Pristina on Saturday (media)
KSC President grants Naim Haradinaj modification of sentence (media)
Appeals Panel pronounces judgment in Salih Mustafa case (media)
AAK’s Tahiri criticizes govt: 80% of capital projects haven’t started (Nacionale)
Nissinen: We need strong democracies like Kosovo and Finland (Kosovapress)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic: If EU message was that we have to recognise Kosovo, that will not happen (Tanjug)
Brnabic: Serbians oppose sanctions on Russia (N1, FoNet)
O’Brien: US expect calm and fair elections in Serbia, OSCE carefully monitors process (Voice of America)
Six months since ban on importing Serbian goods in Kosovo was imposed (Radio KIM)
Gogic, Rakic on non-acceptance of petitions to resolve mayors in north (Kosovo Online, social media)
Memorial service to six murdered Serb boys served at Orthodox cemetery in Pec (KoSSev, Radio KIM)
Election silence begins at midnight and lasts until closure of polling stations on December 17 (KiM radio, Beta)
CRTA: Election campaign in a fog of unanswered questions (N1)
Presevo, Bujanovac, Medvedja KLA veterans called on Albanians to boycott elections on December 17 (Kosovo Online, bujanovacke.co.rs)
Pointing a finger at Serbian “state security”, Kurti installs a memorial plaque on the anniversary of the Panda case (KoSSev)

International:

Kosovo Charges Four With Terrorism Over Election Office Bombing in North (BIRN)
Hague Court Cuts Kosovo’s Commander Cali’s Sentence by Four Years (BIRN)
Ex-Guerrilla-Turned-MP Does not Plead in First Hague Appearance (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani meets Meloni, “count on leadership” (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and highlighted Italy’s role in supporting Kosovo “through all stages”. “We count on Prime Minister Meloni’s leadership to advance the path of our state toward European integration,” Osmani wrote in a Facebook post.

Kurti travels to Brussels, invited by leader of European Socialists (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti traveled to Brussels today following an invitation from the leader of the European Socialists, Stefan Lofven, to attend the preparatory meeting of the EU Council with Prime Ministers, party leaders and commissioners from the European Socialists.

Kurti: Serbia still hiding the truth about Panda case (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today on the 25th anniversary of Serbia’s attack at the Panda bar in Peja that “the state of Serbia continues to hide the truth about the killing of Serb youths even after a quarter of a century, the same way it continues not to accept the crimes it committed against Albanians in the 1998-99 war”.

Kurti argues in a Facebook post that “on December 18, 1998, Serbian authorities framed the killing of Serbian youths at the Panda bar in Peja. Serbia killed six Serbian youths, aged 14, 16, 17, 18 and 24, in an attempt by the Milosevic regime to justify ethnic cleansing and genocide in Kosovo. After this case, over 150 Albanians were arrested in Peja … They were imprisoned in Peja and suffered from inhumane tortures.”

Kurti also recalls that the parents of the victims have called on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to testify about his statements that “the crime in Panda was not committed by the Albanians”.

According to Kurti “the silence” of Serbia about the Panda case and the crimes committed against Albanians “speaks of the unchanged political mindset of Serbia toward the Republic of Kosovo. It is proof about the close ties of failing to acknowledge its criminal past and not recognizing our independence”.

Haxhiu: Early marriages in RAE communities, most unaddressed issue (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, gave details today about the establishment of the Inter-institutional Group to prevent early marriages in the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities. She said that the issue of early marriages in these communities is the most unaddressed issue since the war, and that negligence has threatened the lives and health of young girls. “The issue of marriage under 18 has been treated by the draft of the Civil Code too and it will be sent to the Assembly soon. I am confident that the establishment of this group will help raise awareness in society about the consequences of early marriages and help prevent them,” Haxhiu said.

KSF and Albanian Army hold joint drill in Albania (media)

Most news websites report that the Kosovo Security Force and the Albanian Armed Force are conducting joint drills at the military base in Biza, Albania. Kosovo’s Minister of Defence, Ejup Maqedonci, said in a Facebook post that “the objective of the drill is to test the capacities of infantry in winter conditions. The terrain and conditions at the Biza polygon enable the implementation of objectives, testing abilities and capacities obtained by the units that participate in the drill”.

European Judo Championship to be held in Pristina on Saturday (media)

The European Judo Championship will be held on Saturday in Pristina for the first time and the most elite judo athletes in Europe are expected to take part. Kosovo’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports called for support for Kosovo judo athletes. The European Judo Championships Open is organized as part of the program “Kosovo, a state of judo” by the Judo Federation of Kosovo, and supported by the Ministry of Culture, and the European Judo Federation.

KSC President grants Naim Haradinaj modification of sentence (media)

The Specialist Chambers of Kosovo (KSC) said in a press statement today that KSC President, Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova, on 12 December 2023, decided to modify Mr Nasim Haradinaj’s sentence to provide for his release on or about 14 December 2023, under the conditions set forth in the decision. These conditions will continue to apply for the duration of the sentence imposed by the Court of Appeals Panel, namely for the remainder of the four year and three-month sentence.

In coming to her decision, the President consulted the Judges of the sentencing Panels as provided for in Article 51(2) of the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (“Law”), and took into consideration the factors set forth in Rule 196(3) of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence as well as the oral hearing she conducted with Mr Haradinaj. In addition, and as set forth in her earlier decision of 12 October 2023 on the commutation, modification, or alteration of Mr Haradinaj’s sentence, the President considered a report submitted by the Registrar on Mr Haradinaj’s behavior at the Detention Facilities.

The President considered that while the offenses for which Mr Haradinaj was convicted are indisputably grave given the chilling impact the revelation of confidential information had on (potential) witnesses, there were a number of factors that weighed in favor of modification of his sentence.

Notably, the President found that Mr Haradinaj had an opportunity to reflect on his actions while at the KSC’s Detention Facilities and that the report showed that he had abided by the rules of the Detention Facilities over the past few months. The President further noted Mr Haradinaj’s expressions of regret and his firm commitment to refrain from engaging in any further acts that could qualify as offenses against the administration of justice and to abide by any conditions imposed on his release. The President emphasized that if Mr Haradinaj fails to adhere to any of the conditions set forth in the decision the decision will be revoked.

The President’s decision can be found here on the KSC’s website.

Appeals Panel pronounces judgment in Salih Mustafa case (media)

The Specialist Chambers of Kosovo said in a press statement today that the Court of Appeals Panel in the case of the Specialist Prosecutor v. Salih Mustafa, composed of Judges Michèle Picard, Kai Ambos and Nina Jørgensen, issued the first appeal judgment of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in a case dealing with war crimes.

The Appeals Panel affirmed Mr Mustafa’s convictions for the War Crimes of Arbitrary Detention (count 1), Torture (count 3), and Murder (count 4).

Mr Mustafa’s appeal comprised nine grounds, divided into 51 sub-grounds. The Appeals Panel dismissed eight grounds raised by Mr Mustafa challenging the Trial Judgment, while granting in part his challenge to the Trial Panel’s imposition of a sentence of 26 years of imprisonment for the three counts on which he was convicted.

While fully cognisant of the Trial Panel’s broad discretion in sentencing and keeping in mind that sentences cannot be easily transposed from one case to another, the Appeals Panel nevertheless found that in cases before both international tribunals and Kosovo courts concerning war crimes comparable to those for which Mr Mustafa was sentenced, shorter sentences were imposed than those imposed by the Trial Panel on Mr Mustafa. Accordingly, the Appeals Panel reduced Mr Mustafa’s individual sentences for the war crimes for which he was convicted and reduced his overall single sentence from 26 years to 22 years of imprisonment, with credit for time served.

In pronouncing its judgment, the Court of Appeals Panel emphasized that the judgment “is a significant step towards providing justice to victims and ensuring accountability,” and that the reduction of Mr Mustafa’s sentence, “in no way suggests that the crimes for which he has been convicted and sentenced are not grave.”

The Appeals Panel noted that Mr Mustafa did not appeal the Reparation Order issued by the Trial Panel, which awarded reparations to eight victims participating in the proceedings, and that its decision does not affect the Reparation Order.

The Appeals Panel also stressed that it had confirmed Mr Mustafa’s convictions for which he was found “individually criminally responsible” for the war crimes of torture, arbitrary detention and murder, and that, “neither the KLA nor the Kosovo people were the subject of these proceedings, and they have not been found responsible for or convicted of these crimes.”

A summary of the Appeal Judgment can be found on the KSC website.

AAK’s Tahiri criticizes govt: 80% of capital projects haven’t started (Nacionale)

Head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, Besnik Tahiri, criticized the Kurti-led government today for lack of expenditures in capital investments and argued that the government is unable to perform its constitutional mandate. “In 2022, the budget expenditures were only 60 percent for capital investments, and in 2023 only 35 percent until September. 80 percent of investments on roads and schools … did not happen as a result of this government’s negligence. Over 1,700 capital projects for 2023 were not started until September. This government is unable to perform its constitutional mandate,” he argued.

Nissinen: We need strong democracies like Kosovo and Finland (Kosovapress)

Finnish Ambassador to Kosovo, Matti Nissen, said in an interview with the news agency, that he expects European leaders to make good decisions at the EU summit of leaders in Brusels. He said that the architecture of international security and that this is why the world needs strong democracies, like Kosovo and Finland. Nissen also said that the international community needs to continue providing unwavering support to Ukraine, as the security situation globally is quite concerning. “I think this is a very important week in terms of European decision-making, and to continue providing support for Ukraine, and I hope that all leaders will make good decisions on Thursday and Friday,” he said.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: If EU message was that we have to recognise Kosovo, that will not happen (Tanjug)

If Brussels's message at the end of the electoral campaign in Serbia was that we have to recognise the Kosovo, that will not happen, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday.

"If they wanted to say Serbia will have to accept 'Kosovo' as independent, I am telling them it will not, but they might find some people who will accept that, so maybe their guys will win. It is completely clear when you look at the foreign foundations that have been paying certain parties, but they will say it was not for the elections, but for projects", Vucic said in an appearance on K1 TV, in a comment on conclusions adopted by the EU General Affairs Council on Chapter 35 in Serbia's EU accession talks.

"We need unity of policy above all - not unity of political parties, but a single policy we are pursuing, rather than five, 10 or 20 policies. We need diligent people who know how to govern a country both in difficult situations and in situations that are not so difficult", Vucic noted.

Brnabic: Serbians oppose sanctions on Russia (N1, FoNet)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday that Serbia has not aligned with the European Union’s sanctions policy on Russia because its citizens are opposing it, FoNet news agency reports.

She said that the citizens of Serbia know how much suffering the sanctions imposed on the FRY in the 1990s caused. Brnabic added that sanctions always affect the most vulnerable.

Brnabic also said that the EU-Western Balkans summit is an opportunity to discuss the growth plan for the region and get six million Euro in loans and grants. She said reforms are the condition for that and added that Serbia is not shying away from them. Brnabic is representing Serbia at the summit instead of President Aleksandar Vucic.

O’Brien: US expect calm and fair elections in Serbia, OSCE carefully monitors process (Voice of America)

US expect that elections in Serbia are contacted in line with the rules, in a calm environment and to be fair, and from the new government in Belgrade to continue talks on normalization of relations with Pristina authorities, and European integration, James O’Brien, Assistant US Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia told Voice of America. He also said that the OSCE Mission in Serbia has a robust election mission there and will carefully monitor elections.

“Serbian people will vote as they want. We expect the government to adhere to the agreement it made in relation to Kosovo. Over the last couple of months, we saw some progress in this regard. You know, some crucial disputable things started to be resolved – license plates, customs, templates…It is necessary to continue that when the new government assumes the duty, but we have to see further progress as well”, O’Brien is quoted as saying.

Speaking of continuation of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue on normalization of relations, O’Brien said the US expects tensions in the north of Kosovo, in the areas where Serb majority population live to de-escalate.

“This is the area where KFOR presence has been reinforced, NATO forces. And the European Mission EULEX is also very active lately. Therefore, neither side has reasons to cause tensions there, and that area should remain calm”, he said. As one of the measures that could de-escalate tensions, he mentioned the return of Serbs to public institutions.

“Kosovo Serb citizens living there should be welcomed back to the public institutions and that would de-escalate tensions. And then, frankly, a lot of work is in front of both sides to make sure to continue the path of normalization agreed last March in Ohrid. Therefore, there is work”, he added.

Six months since ban on importing Serbian goods in Kosovo was imposed (Radio KIM)

It has been six months since the Kosovo Government made a decision to ban import of Serbian goods. Although at the beginning, the ban included all the goods, trucks transporting raw materials and animal feed were entering Kosovo. However, food products are not imported, and in the shops in Kosovo these Serbian products are no longer available, Radio KIM reports today.

The decision to ban import of Serbian goods was made on June 14, amid a crisis in northern Kosovo and right after the arrest of three Kosovo police officers by Serbian MIA, saying that Kosovo police officers entered the territory of central Serbia. Despite Kosovo police officers being released soon after the arrest, the decision remains in force.

Gracanica residents, in addition to Serbian food products, also lack medications made in Serbia.

“There are no medications. You have to buy everything, and what you can not find you go to Serbia, and then it is also not allowed, you can not bring it here…..The biggest problem relates to food products”, Dijana Kostic said.

“Everything is missing. For me personally their goods are not of a good quality at all. We got used to certain products, Plazma (biscuit), our floor, sugar, oil…. As far as I am concerned everything is lacking. I hope the ban would be revoked soon, because it is getting hard for some stuff (…)” Dragana Djokic said.

Everyone is losing

According to experts, companies from Serbia have lost more than 100 million euros since the ban was imposed. However, Kosovo businesses are affected as well because the majority of raw materials they import from Serbia directly, not only because of quality but also because of the costs related to it.

“Lots of raw materials and repro-materials we import from Serbia. You know that transport costs for the goods that can be found in Serbia are 500 euros, if you import the same goods from Germany, transport costs go above three or four thousands euros. Who is paying that at the end? A consumer in Kosovo is paying (...)”, former president of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, Safet Grxhaliu said.

Pessimistic predictions

International community requested the Albin Kurti-lead government to revoke the ban on several occasions. Kosovo Minister for Communities and Returns Nenad Rasic in August said that Pristina was considering this option, however, the decision had not been made yet. He said he will insist on this issue to be resolved but that he is not an optimist, noting political tensions and security events that impacted the situation.

Gerxhaliu opined that Kosovo businessmen must be more vocal about the problems they are facing over the last six months, adding that not everything has to be resolved in Brussels, but that people between themselves using the language of arguments should resolve the issue.

Gogic, Rakic on non-acceptance of petitions to resolve mayors in north (Kosovo Online, social media)

The fact that Mitrovica North municipal assembly chair rejected request to initiate petition for removal of a mayor, submitted by a group of citizens in line with Kosovo Government administrative instruction should serve as a warning to both, European Union and Serbs in Kosovo that Pristina will obviously delay and obstruct its own procedures, political analyst Ognjen Gogic opined.

He also said this should serve as an indicator to the international community to give up on a petition to replace the mayors and instead exert pressure and demand that the mayors and municipal assembly councilors in the north resign. According to him this would disable possible obstructions by Pristina and would be “the fastest way in line with the EU demands to call for elections as soon as possible. This is the only way to ensure that those new local authorities in the four northern municipalities are functional and can address the needs of citizens”.

Milica Andric Rakic from New Social Initiative said if one is to judge the current approach of the local institutions in the north, there will be significant obstacles in implementing administrative instruction to launch petition to replace the mayors, adding that municipal assembly chairs have neither authority to reject the request nor to influence how will they be formulated.

Memorial service to six murdered Serb boys served at Orthodox cemetery in Pec (KoSSev, Radio KIM)

A memorial service to six Serb boys murdered at Panda café in 1998, was held today at the Orthodox cemetery in Pec, KoSSev portal reports citing Radio KIM.

At that time, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti unveiled a memorial plaque at the former café, with a message that “perpetrator of a crime is state security of Serbia”.

In an armed attack by two masked individuals on a café bar Panda in Pec on December 14, 1998 six Serb boys, aged 15 to 24 were murdered, and two other one Serb and one Bosniak seriously wounded. One boy sustained light bodily injuries caused by firearms.

Pec parish priest served a memorial service at the graveyard of Dragan Trifovic, one of the murdered boys. Trifovic’s sister and her husband attended the service. The remains of the other five boys have been taken to central Serbia by their parents.

The crime remains unresolved up to date. The parents of murdered boys for years have been requesting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to find out who is responsible for the murders. They also requested a meeting with him, but the meeting did not take place yet. In the meantime, the parents also addressed the judicial bodies of Serbia, the portal added.

Election silence begins at midnight and lasts until closure of polling stations on December 17 (KiM radio, Beta)

The election silence begins at midnight, and will last until 8 p.m. on Sunday, December 17, when the voting in the parliamentary, provincial, and local elections ends, that is, when the polling stations close, reported KiM radio.

According to the decision of the Republic Election Commission (REC), 6,500,165 registered voters will be able to exercise their right to vote in the parliamentary elections at one of a total of 8,273 polling stations.

1,669,734 citizens have the right to vote in the provincial elections in Vojvodina, and 1,613,190 voters in the Belgrade elections.

In the republican elections, voters will be able to choose from 18 lists with a total of 2,817 proposed candidates for 250 seats in the parliament.

13 electoral lists have been established for provincial elections, 14 for elections to the Belgrade City Assembly, and local elections will be organized in a total of 65 cities and municipalities.

During the period of election silence, it is forbidden to publish evaluations of election results, present candidates or lists in the elections and their election programs in the media and at public gatherings.

CRTA: Election campaign in a fog of unanswered questions (N1)

Disturbing testimonies from citizens about the pressures they are exposed to, well-founded suspicions of falsification of signatures of support for election tickets, manipulation of the voter list and misuse of citizens’ personal data call into question the integrity of the institutions in Serbia, said the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), reported N1.

Following the first three weeks of the election campaign when CRTA presented its findings, it singled out three keywords that marked the first part of the election campaign: inequality, threats, and suspicion. The main CRTA findings on the second part of the election campaign are as follows:

International

Kosovo Charges Four With Terrorism Over Election Office Bombing in North (BIRN)

One year after a bomb attack on election commission offices in the North, the Kosovo Prosecution has indicted four people on terrorism charges.

Kosovo’s Special Prosecution on Wednesday indicted four ethnic Serbs on terrorism charges for the grenade attack on the Mitrovica North Municipal Election Commission one year ago.

The prosecution published only the initials of the defendants but BIRN has learned that they are Milun “Lune” Milenkovic, Dejan Pantic, Aleksandar Vlajic and Miomir Vakic.

The Prosecution alleged that the attack was aimed at intimidating voters to not participate in the mayoral elections scheduled for December 18 but postponed because of an escalated security situation.

“While Municipal Election Commission officials, together with police officers, went to the premises to open the office, four suspects committed a terrorist attack by throwing two hand grenades and two shock bombs at the office. One grenade and two shock bombs exploded causing considerable material damage, putting the lives of election officials and police officers in serious danger,” the Prosecution said.

Milenkovic has been in detention since June this year when he was arrested by Kosovo police in North Mitrovica in an operation during which they used tear gas.