Albanian Language Media:

• Kosovo government launches project for investments from diaspora (media)
• Govt says it will send comments about sequencing plan on time (Koha)
• Szunyog: Association draft must be sent to Constitutional Court (media)
• Kurti meets Westerlund; “NATO membership, a clear objective” (media)
• Government: EU has all the reasons to lift the measures (RTV21)
• Germany: Kosovo to create necessary climate to remove measures (media)
• Ministry says KPC statements about law are inaccurate and tendentious (Koha)
• Journalists’ Association calls on Osmani to hold public stance on IMC law (media)
• Haziri: Osmani’s request for guarantees from allies, pressure on Kurti (Express)
• Hoxhaj welcomes Vance’s selection as U.S. Vice President candidate (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Vucic speaks with Meloni by phone (Tanjug)
• Lajcak, Miscevic discuss Serbia's EU path in Brussels (Tanjug, media)
• Report: Violation of human rights greater in north, than in southern municipalities (Radio KIM)
• Arsenijevic: List for certification of notaries without Serbian candidates, decision discriminatory (Kosovo Online, social media)
• Return of displaced Serbs to Kosovo: 25 years of loud silence (Kosovo Online, Vesti)
• Ministry of Information, Djerlek condemn attack on journalists at Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica (N1)

Opinion:

• Good day, Belgrade! (Kosovo 2.0)
• Leapfrogging gas, Western Balkans can get cleaner air and save billions (BIRN)

International:

• Photographers reflect on documenting Kosovo’s 1990s turmoil (Prishtina Insight)
• ‘You don’t qualify: Kosovo massacre survivor struggles to obtain war victim status (BIRN)
• Kosovo eases working hours for some categories due to extreme heat (euronews.al)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Behind sensational narratives of gender disinformation (media)                                                                 

   

Albanian Language Media  

Kosovo government launches project for investments from diaspora (media)

All news websites report today that the Kosovo government, in cooperation with the Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund and the US Agency for International Development, launched the “Diaspora Investment Window”, a project that aims to bring diaspora investments to Kosovo. 

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X that “there are already many cases of our fellow citizens abroad who have decided to return to Kosova to invest their hard-earned capital, and many more who plan to do so in the near future. Today, as we open the ‘Diaspora Investment Window’, we’re making that process easier and more affordable than ever. Together with the Kosova Credit Guarantee Fund, we have pledged to contribute up to €10 million to guarantee loans to businesses owned by diaspora who decide to return to invest in Kosova. Through this innovative program, we expect to guarantee up to €100 million in loans. Our diaspora are a major engine of our country’s progress, economically, intellectually, and culturally. We owe them our thanks and our support — not just with words, but with concrete action”. See more at: https://tinyurl.com/y3kkdyfp

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, who attended the launching of the project, said that it would help bring the best practices from the diaspora to Kosovo. “The U.S. government is proud to have helped establish this new program, through financial and technical assistance by the USAID, because we understand the rare opportunity of businesses from the diaspora. When the diaspora returns to the country, it brings its best to Kosovo,” Hovenier said. “Through this platform we hope to support more success stories that create more jobs. The U.S. government sees this investment window as part of its long-term commitment to promote sustainable economic growth in Kosovo and to enable a more prosperous future for its citizens. We want to see an economy that enables prosperity for all citizens of Kosovo. It is an opportunity and a challenge. We are here to embrace this opportunity. It is one of the ways which I believe will have an impact”.

Govt says it will send comments about sequencing plan on time (Koha)

The Kosovo government said it will deliver on time its written comments to the document for the sequencing plan of the Basic Agreement reached in Brussels and the implementation annex accorded in Ohrid. Following a meeting between chief negotiators in Brussels on July 2, Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi said that Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak asked the two parties to send their comments to the sequencing plan by July 18. Bislimi’s advisor, Klisman Kadiu, told Koha today that the Kosovo government will send its comments on time and that Kosovo has continuously made concrete proposals for every point, “by proving constructiveness, and readiness to implement the agreements. For the agreements to be implemented in their entirety the other party too should have the same approach and until now this has been lacking unfortunately”. 

Szunyog: Association draft must be sent to the Constitutional Court (media)

EU Head of Office in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, said in an interview with Ekonomia Online today that the draft statute of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities should be sent to the Constitutional Court. “The Association of Serb-majority municipalities is an obligation of Kosovo which is not new. The establishment of this Association was already agreed in 2013. The agreement was also ratified by the Assembly of Kosovo with a constitutional majority. So from that perspective it is an international obligation of Kosovo, but it is also a domestic legal obligation to establish the Association. We have proposed, as the European Union, a draft. My understanding is that Prime Minister Kurti was actually ready to accept this draft and sign it last October. So from that perspective we believe that this is a good draft respecting red lines of both sides and we believe that it should be taken and sent to the Constitutional Court in a way that is admissible and the Constitutional Court can rule on that. But again, this is only the first step in the process of establishing the Association. And again, my understanding is also that in this joint letter signed by the President, Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Assembly sent to the Council of Europe last May, the three constitutional leaders actually promised to establish the Association. So I think that this is something which needs to be done. The sooner this is done the better for the progress of Kosovo on the way to become a member of the EU,” Szunyog said.

Kurti meets Westerlund; “NATO membership, a clear objective” (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met with Swedish Ambassador Jonas Westerlund today and wished him a good start for Sweden’s membership in NATO. He said that Kosovo’s membership in NATO remains a clear objective of Kosovo’s institutions. “The Prime Minister thanked Ambassador Westerlund for supporting Kosovo in the process of European integration and for assistance to many development projects, including the project ‘Building Peace and Advancing the European Agenda’ which is managed by the Balkans Policy Research Group and which supports a number of international and local experts,” a press release by Kurti’s office notes.

Government: EU has all the reasons to lift the measures (RTV21)

The Kosovo government said today that the European Union has all the reasons to lift the measures against Kosovo, as according to the government, Kosovo has met all the requirements for de-escalation in the north, return to normality and the integration of Serbs there, the news website reports.

Perparim Kryeziu, spokesperson for the Kosovo government, told RTV21 that they hope that the readiness of EU member states will soon translate into concrete action to lift the measures. “We have welcomed the readiness of the European Union to remove the unfair measures against Kosovo. On April 22, with the end of the vote in favour or against the removal of mayors in the municipalities of Mitrovica North, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic, given the results, Kosovo has met its obligation to the citizens and the responsibility it assumed from the agreement in Bratislava with the European Union to de-escalate the situation in the north. According to every parameter, the de-escalation in the four municipalities in the north has already happened. Let us recall that in two out of four of these municipalities the vice presidents are women and from the non-majority Serb community, with whom the government has regular communication and cooperation. A large number of departments in these municipalities are led by professionals from the Serb community. The process of converting licence plates to RKS has concluded successfully … Citizens are still being equipped with Kosovo documents. Over 2/3 of the total number of applications for converting illegal drivers’ licences have been registered in the four municipalities in the north. This is the latest proof of normality and integration. The European Union has all the reasons to lift the measures. We hope that their readiness is soon translated into action to lift the measures,” Kryeziu said.

Germany: Kosovo to create necessary climate to remove measures (media)

The German Embassy in Pristina told Front Online today that Germany is in favour of lifting the EU penalty measures against Kosovo and that it expects the Kosovo government to create “the necessary climate” among member states. “As the German Ambassador to Kosovo has continuously said, Germany supports the lifting of measures against Kosovo. The decision is in the hands of EU member states. Nevertheless, all EU member states must be convinced that a necessary favourable climate has been created to reach the required consensus,” the embassy said.

Ministry says KPC statements about law are inaccurate and tendentious (Koha)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Justice reacted today to a statement by the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council that the new law aims to block the prosecutorial system, saying that the KPC is continuing its destructive approach, with obstructing actions and blocking tendencies. The Ministry argued that the KPC is trying to interfere with the competencies of the government and the assembly and that their reaction does not include any arguments that the law threatens the independence of the prosecutorial system.

“The Law on the Prosecutorial Council came as a result of a long drafting procedure which included three formal consultations with the Venice Commission, concrete discussions and proposals by civil society organisations and international partners, and proposals and discussions by the representatives of the prosecutorial system and most recently by members of the Assembly of Kosovo,” the ministry’s statement notes. It also called on the KPC to “abandon the destructive approach and blocking tendencies and to be a cooperating partner with the purpose of fully implementing reforms in the judiciary”.

Journalists’ Association calls on Osmani to hold public stance on IMC law (media)

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) said in a statement today that it is closely following reactions after the adoption of the Law on the Independent Media Commission by the majority in Kosovo’s Assembly last week. It notes that the European Union, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, as well as many representatives of diplomatic offices in Kosovo, have joined the AJK concerns, stressing that the law is not in compliance with the standards of the Council of Europe. 

The AJK called on President Vjosa Osmani to shape a stance about the law and to share it with the public and not limit herself only to the formal role of decreeing laws. “Free media and media pluralism are the cornerstones of a democratic society and when this foundation becomes seriously wavering the President of the state is obliged to make a public statement. The President is expected to make a public statement and interact with other decision-making institutions in the defence of free media and press as the foundation of a healthy democratic society of a country that aspires to EU integration,” the AJK statement notes.

Haziri: Osmani’s request for guarantees from allies, pressure on Kurti (Express)

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lutfi Haziri, in an interview with the news website today commented on President Vjosa Osmani’s request for guarantees from Kosovo’s allies with regards to the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. According to Haziri, the request for additional guarantees and the readiness to send the Association’s draft statute to the Constitutional Court represents a major and clear step by Osmani as pressure on Prime Minister Albin Kurti to act on the Association. 

“He [Kurti] is asked to make a decision on the Association by the government, the president sends it to the Constitutional Court and the EU/task force then implements the Association,” Haziri argued. He also said that this is a new division of tasks between the leaders and that Kurti, who once opposed the Association, “is now agreeing to a political autonomy for the north”.

Hoxhaj welcomes Vance’s selection as U.S. Vice President candidate (media)

Kosovo’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and senior member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Enver Hoxhaj, said in a post on X on Monday that he is “thrilled to see President Trump choose James David Vance as his VP candidate! Having recently met him in Munich, I can vouch for his deep understanding of Balkan and European challenges. His insight and leadership are exactly what we need in these turbulent times”.

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic speaks with Meloni by phone (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke by phone with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni on Monday to discuss geopolitical circumstances, the situation in the region, bilateral cooperation and Serbia's EU path.

"We agreed for a summit of our two governments to be held in Belgrade by the end of the year", Vucic wrote in a post on his official Instagram account. He reiterated that Serbia extremely appreciated the cooperation with Italy as one of its top political and economic partners and thanked the country for supporting Serbia on the EU path.

"I thanked Giorgia Meloni for the friendship and Italian investments in Serbia, and we agreed to continue the discussion on Thursday at the European Political Community summit in London", Vucic posted. Meloni especially noted Italy's interest in preservation of peace in the region and activities regarding EU enlargement in the Western Balkans were also proposed.

Lajcak, Miscevic discuss Serbia's EU path in Brussels (Tanjug, media)

The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues Miroslav Lajcak received Serbian Minister for European Integration Tanja Miscevic in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss Serbia's EU path.

"We exchanged about Serbia's path to the EU and discussed, among others, the new EU Growth Facility for the Western Balkans", Lajcak wrote in a post on X.

The EU Reform and Growth Facility entered into force on May 25 to "boost socio-economic convergence with the EU and accelerate EU integration, with 6 bln euros in funding conditional on the implementation of reforms", Gert Jan Koopman, head of the EU Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, has posted on his X account.

Report: Violation of human rights greater in north, than in southern municipalities (Radio KIM)

Violation of human rights in the north of Kosovo is on increase, says the report prepared by Mitrovica-North based NGO Aktiv. Political analyst Milena Lazarevic from Strpce said pressure on Serbs in the north of Kosovo is significantly higher and more intense than in central and southern municipalities, where there is also discrimination and limitation of freedoms, Radio KIM reported.

Dimitrije Obrenovic from Aktiv, who authored the report, told the Media Center Heroes of Our Times broadcast that the most obvious human rights violations relate to property, religious freedom, and excessive use of force by Kosovo police. He listed numerous examples of human rights violations and hate speech recorded over the last period.   

“Our report notes that a great part of the human rights violations relate to the rights to property and religion. Through expropriation of land, people were losing their properties without any knowledge about that process, without concrete paperwork and without any process. It happened in Zubin Potok, Leposavic and on the road at Banov Do village, connecting Cabra village with Banov Do. As far as freedom of religion is concerned it relates to appropriation or renaming the churches. It happened in Vinarce village, where the church that was traditionally Orthodox was renovated by Kosovo Ministry of Culture, and on the signboard it was written that this is a Catholic church”, Obrenovic said.

According to him, a large number of human rights violations are committed by members of Kosovo police.

“We have recorded several cases of excessive use of force that are included in our report. That happens at checkpoints where Kosovo special police units are stationed, often unprepared for everyday encounters with people. Because of stress, often they are on the verge of doing something which is not in line with the law, often they are violent towards people, mainly the drivers on the main roads. One of the examples is that of a driver, who was stopped, mistreated, beaten up and later humiliated in specific ways when they took him to the police station. However, these cases (complaints) take too long with Kosovo Police Inspectorate”, Obrenovic said.

In addition to discrimination, Lazarevev pointed out migration of young people as a particular problem. She said a smaller number of children enrolled in the first grades of primary education in Strpce is noticeable and there are classrooms having two to four pupils, which is alarming. She said it is mainly young people or young couples with children leaving the municipality which is particularly concerning. As another prevailing problem among those remaining living in the municipality she noted the state of apathy. Obrenovic also spoke about the problem of people leaving the north of Kosovo, in particular following the Banjska incident from last year. 

Arsenijevic: List for certification of notaries without Serbian candidates, decision discriminatory (Kosovo Online, social media)

There is not a single Serb on the list of certification of notaries published by Kosovo Ministry of Justice, although there were Serbian candidates in the areas where Serbs live, leader of Serbian Democracy Aleksandar Arsenijevic said, and called upon them to file complaints to the decision he termed discriminatory, Kosovo Online portal reported.

In a post on his X social network Arsenijevic wrote that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti started implementing the strategy of his government to integrate non-majority communities, announced last week.

“Results of certification for new notaries by the Kosovo Ministry of Justice were published today. Imagine not a single Serb on the list of 101 selected notaries. Not even in the Serbian areas, although there were Serbian candidates. Let’s us recall once again the famous Kosovo multiethnic Constitution (the most important document ever written after the Bible), which, as per Kosovo institutions, is violated only by the Serbs, ‘Article 61 (Representation in Public Institutions Employment)’”, Arsenijevic wrote in a post.

He called upon Serbian candidates to file complaints to this discriminatory decision.  

Return of displaced Serbs to Kosovo: 25 years of loud silence (Kosovo Online, Vesti)

Loud silence - this is how, 25 years after the end of the conflict, the issue of the return of over 200,000 displaced Serbs to Kosovo can be described. Interlocutors told Kosovo Online that key reasons remain the same as in 1999 – unresolved issues of security and sustainable survival.

The epilogue of the 1999 conflict was ‘absurd’ the portal further writes. About 800,000 Albanians returned to their homes within just a few months, while simultaneously between 230,000 and 250,000 Serbs left Kosovo.

25 years later, not only has the majority of these Serbs not returned, but no one even talks about the possibility of their mass return. The Kosovo Government established a special ministry for return exactly 20 years ago, but this process has been reduced to individual cases and the discouraging statistic that more Serbs have left Kosovo in the last three years than have returned in a quarter of a century. It is concerning that this problem has become “invisible” even to international organisations. The Serbian Ministry of Human, Minority Rights and Social Dialogue warned last week that the recently published report of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) completely omitted the most prominent and long-standing problem of preventing the return of displaced persons from Kosovo.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/1SQ7h

Ministry of Information, Djerlek condemn attack on journalists at Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica (N1)

Serbian Ministry of Information and Serbian Assembly Deputy Speaker Edin Djerlek in the strongest terms condemned the physical assault on Politika journalist Biljana Radomirovic and Jedinstvo journalist Zoran Vlaskovic, near the main Ibar River bridge in Mitrovica, while on professional assignment.

The Ministry said this latest case is yet another in a series of incidents aiming at obstructing or fully impeding work of the Serbian journalists in Kosovo. It added it expects swift reactions from responsible bodies, apprehension of the perpetrator and adequate punishment. The Ministry called upon representatives of the international community in Kosovo and international organisations dealing with freedom of media to condemn this act.

Djerlek said the cases of violence against journalists must not go unpunished, regardless by who and where they were committed.  

Opinion

Good day, Belgrade! (Kosovo 2.0)

Opinion piece by Aurela Kadriu, program director of the Pristina-based Qendra Multimedia — a cultural organisation dealing with cultural production, focused on contemporary theatre and literature.

Will it ever get better in Serbia?

On June 27, 2024, I left Prishtina for Belgrade to participate in this year’s edition of the Mirëdita, Dobar Dan! festival, organised by Integra in Kosovo and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) of Civic Initiatives in Serbia. The festival, now in its tenth edition, serves as a platform for exchange and cooperation between artists, intellectuals and activists from Serbia and Kosovo. It was supposed to open with the play “Father and Father” by Jeton Neziraj, directed by Kushtrim Koliqi. The play follows the life of a family defined by the absence of the father, who, like 1,597 others, is still missing after disappearing during the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo. However, the play was not performed. This edition of the festival did not open. A few hours before it was set to begin, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia banned it.

This ban was the epilogue of a several-week campaign against the festival. Leading this campaign were, among others, Serbian Minister of Culture Nikola Selakovic, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin and Minister of the Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic, who ultimately sealed the ban. On the day of the festival, a bus carrying participants from Kosovo was stopped when entering Belgrade and escorted back to the Kosovo border by the police.

For a long time, successive Serbian governments, especially the one led by Aleksandar Vučić, have made it clear that we are not welcome in Belgrade. But this time, they explicitly banned us. The way it all happened reminded me of my other trips to Belgrade, perhaps because this trip was inseparable from previous ones. Each journey had slowly led to this point.

Belgrade has been building barriers

I first went to Belgrade in 2014 as a participant in a program focused on dealing with the past. Since then, over the past ten years, I have visited Belgrade at least twice a year, mainly for work.

I participated in the Mirëdita, Dobar dan! festival for the first time in May 2022, during its ninth edition in Belgrade. At the festival, we promoted the book I had edited, titled “Hije të shtrembëruara” — Distorted Shadows — published by Integra. The book summarizes accounts of Albanian political prisoners from Kosovo who survived brutal torture in the infamous Goli Otok prison in Croatia during the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

At the opening of that edition we were evacuated from the courtyard of the Center for Cultural Decontamination (CZKD) due to a bomb threat. CZKD was the home of the courageous and inspiring playwright Borka Pavicevic, who stood against the nationalism of her country for her entire life. We went from the suspected bomb site out onto the street where we were met by a crowd of men shouting and holding up hateful nationalist slogans and symbols directed towards Albanians.

In June of the same year, I went to Belgrade for a performance of the play “The Handke Project” by Jeton Neziraj, directed by Blerta Neziraj. The play problematizes the decision to award the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2019 to Austrian writer Peter Handke. A little more than ten years before receiving the prize, Handle gave a eulogy at the funeral of Slobodan Milosevic, the man who ordered the killing of thousands of people in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. In his work, Handke also relativized and denied the crimes of the Serbian state in the Yugoslav wars.

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

Leapfrogging gas, Western Balkans can get cleaner air and save billions (BIRN)

Opinion piece by Pippa Gallop and Zhanaiym Kozybay.

With significant potential for green energy and limited gas infrastructure, the countries of the Western Balkans have a golden opportunity to skip gas as a transition fuel, saving billions of euros on the way.

Rarely does the absence of infrastructure portend well for the Western Balkans — or anywhere for that matter. But the fact that the region lacks a well-established gas network but boasts significant potential for green energy might just be the opportunity the region can seize to turbocharge its clean energy transition.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia can save billions of euros and ensure cleaner air for their residents provided the political will is there to shift resources towards wind and solar and integrate these sources into the energy mix, while at the same time avoiding the false promises of gas.

A new report from the San Francisco-based NGO Global Energy Monitor shows that proposed wind and solar projects totalling 23 gigawatts have the potential to replace plans for gas-fired power in the region. This is roughly the same that Germany has in planning.

If realised, these projects could help avoid 103 million tonnes in lifetime CO2 emissions, which is equal to 87 percent of the region’s 2022 emissions, while at the same time saving over nine billion euros in energy costs over the same period.

But the threat of gas power, including increased carbon emissions, exposure to price volatility and energy insecurity, looms large in the Western Balkans. Current plans to ramp up the use of gas ensure further dependence on a fuel that needs importing and represents a potentially costly stranded asset risk.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/6MvVs

International 

Photographers reflect on documenting Kosovo’s 1990s turmoil (Prishtina Insight)

Four wartime photographers recall the hardships of documenting daily life in Kosovo in the 1990s and the importance of remembrance .

Their accounts, partially showcased in the ‘Reporting House’ exhibition, reveal the dedication required to ensure that the world witnessed the resistance and struggle of the Kosovar people.

Photographer Ridvan Slivova began his career at the newspaper “Rilindja” at the age of 27. He worked as a photojournalist during the war in Kosovo from 1998-1999. In the show “Kallxo Përnime,” he recounted documenting the protests in 1998, which were organised by women in solidarity with the victims of killings and massacres in the Drenica region.

“There were also earlier protests organised by women. I took all these photos on film. This bread protest happened on March 16, 1998, after the killing of the Jashari Family. All of Drenica was blocked, and protests began to send bread there. The protest was stopped at the entrance to Fushë Kosova/Kosovo Polje, and we turned back. All this bread was later returned in front of the Red Cross building,” Slivova detailed.

Photographer Eliza Hoxha, who now is an MP in the opposition with the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, explained how she took all of the film of the photographs she had taken during those years with her when she was a refugee in North Macedonia.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/2H2RA

‘You don’t qualify: Kosovo massacre survivor struggles to obtain war victim status (BIRN)

Survivors of the Abri e Eperme/Gornje Obrinje massacre in the Drenas area of Kosovo, in which 23 members of the Deliu family were killed on September 26, 1998, are still being denied the right to be recognised as war victims. 

Liridona Deliu, one of four survivors of the 1998 massacre, told BIRN that she has even been asked for money to gain wartime victim status. She did not name names but was probably referring to people linked to the department of social welfare and the war victims' claims evaluation commission.

"While we were gathering documents, someone demanded 20,000 euros, which was later reduced to 6,000, but we refused to buy a status that rightfully belongs to us,"  Deliu said in an interview with BIRN's 'Kallxo Pernime' television programme in Kosovo last month.

War victim status brings welfare benefits in Kosovo, where the government pays 120 euros a month to those it officially recognises as victims.

The members of the Deliu family who died in the massacre ranged in age from six months to 94 years old.

Deliu’s mother, then in the final month of pregnancy, was among the victims. Deliu, then three-and-a-half years old, was wounded by shrapnel from grenades thrown by Serbian forces. 

She remembers little of that time. “Growing up, I started remembering some scenes. I recall being taken to another neighbourhood and feeling happy when someone spoke to us in Albanian,” she said.

Besides Liridona Deliu, other survivors include her siblings Besnik and Arlinda, and their cousin Albert Deliu. 

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/l1Vcw

Kosovo eases working hours for some categories due to extreme heat (euronews.al)

The Ministry of Health in Kosovo has decided to ease the working hours for some categories of people, due to the extreme temperatures these days. According to the decision that entered into force on July 13, pregnant women are allowed to work from home, while persons with chronic diseases work with reduced hours, no more than 4 hours a day.

Also, according to the decision of the Ministry, work in the construction sector in open premises is prohibited during the hours 11:00 to 17:00, throughout Kosovo. Currently, the decision of the Ministry of Health is in force until July 20, but is expected to be extended, and has been submitted to all institutions and companies for implementation.

According to the Public Health Institute, people suffering from cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, epilepsy, hypertension and some other diseases should have relief at work, according to the decision of the Ministry.

Humanitarian/Development

Behind sensational narratives of gender disinformation (media)

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo published on their website the seventh article of the project “Fighting discrimination, hate speech and gender-based violence” supported by the European Union and implemented by the Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC), titled “Behind sensational narratives of gender disinformation”.

“You wouldn’t believe what she looked like …”.

“Terrible, look at what happened to the face of …”.

“You wouldn’t believe the change of weight of …”.

“Exclusive: It is revealed that the daughter/sister/girlfriend/ of (…) will run for …”.

These examples are among the countless headlines that flood news websites on a daily basis, and we have become accustomed to them and even the content inside the articles. In our world filled with such sensational information, headlines, or content, it suffices to use words and images that talk directly or indirectly about emotions, the experiences, and personal interests of the public, and they manage to attract the attention of the audience. A kind of invisible and powerful mastery, which manages not only to intensify our curiosity as readers toward finding out about an “exclusive” truth, but it also can transform the way we perceive and evaluate ourselves and the world around us.

But what happens in reality is that under the veil of the mastery of such narratives, there is a tendency which aims to target women and girls in such a way that it manages to shape and distort the way that society perceives them. Namely, this has to do with spreading gender disinformation, which includes every false and manipulated information that aims to damage women or people of different genders and sexualities. 

“The disinformation campaign, especially those targeting women and other vulnerable groups, are being used as a tool to undermine democracy and human rights in Kosovo,” says Kaltrina Kelmendi, professor at the Department of Psychology, the University of Pristina.

The spreading of such disinformation, based on gender stereotypes, is shaping and further strengthening the patriarchal and discriminatory mentality in society, because if we analyze the genesis of this phenomena, it leads us to stereotypes that existed for centuries in society.

“The origin and spreading of gender disinformation and stereotypes about women and girls in Kosovo are closely linked to the family patriarchal dynamics and cultural norms in society,” Kelmendi said.

Kelmendi also argued that “this mindset which derives from the growth and development of our society, starts being noticed since childhood in family environments, where features considered typical for every gender are differentiated and strengthened” and added that these stereotypes are further contributing to gender inequality in society.

On this basis, such narratives intentionally target women and girls, especially those that are public figures, in leading positions or in politics, by attempting to damage their credibility and by sending messages to undermine the efforts of women and girls to reach their objectives.

Elements of these narratives include establishing beauty standards, by injecting unrealistic expectations in society, and Kelmendi argues that “these standards can promote ideals that are not only difficult to achieve but can also be detrimental for physical and mental health. The pressure to accomplish these ideals can lead to eating disorders, anxiety, and depression”.

Other elements of these narratives include the objectification and sexualization of women and girls, by shaping and strengthening the perception of them as property or as reproductive objects.

“The media often portray women and girls as sexual objects, highlighting their looks and body instead of their intellectual or professional abilities,” Kelmendi said.

The spreading of such narratives is enabling a hostile environment toward women and girls, and according to findings in the Kosovar context, a report by Democracy for Development and Pikasa Analytics, notes that “D4D and Pikasa Analytics have come across apparent online attacks against public women figures that choose to oppose to their men counterparts. Women that make questions or challenge their men colleagues, become subject to attacks on social networks”.

Kelmendi said that “… empowering damaging gender stereotypes can contribute to a culture of gender-based violence, including sexual harassment and sexual violence, which leads to lower trust and security for individuals, especially women, in their personal and professional life”.