Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: The pressure should be on Belgrade; we welcome U.S. role (media)
• Kurti accuses MPs of other parties for blocking constitution of Assembly (media)
• LDK MP reacts to Kurti: You have usurped the PM’s Office (media)
• Court holds an initial hearing about Meja massacre in April 1999 (media)
• “Oil products rising due to tensions between Israel and Iran” (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Klokot Municipality President detained for two and a half hours at the "Bela Zemlja" crossing (RTS, Tanjug, KiM radio)
• Gavrilo Milosavljevic acquitted of the indictment for war crimes (Kosovo Online, KiM radio, KoSSev)
• Petkovic: Kurti does not want agreements, nor dialogue, but wants to expel Serbs (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)
• Serbian Democracy: Institutional mechanisms of collective punishment directed by Kosovo MIA (Radio KiM, Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Rasic reminds of Serbs’ right to freely use their symbols (Radio KIM, KoSSev)
• 26 years since kidnapping of SOC monk Hariton in Prizren (Radio Gorazdevac, Radio KIM)
• Kosovo and Serbia: When sports become a political battlefield (KoSSev)

Opinion:

• Palokaj: You are all right – and what now? (Koha)
• Gogic: Expulsion of four Serbs from Kosovo an example of ethnically motivated pseudo-legal lawlessness (Kosovo Online, FB)

International:

• Neglected and abused: Families search for wartime missing while facing trauma alone (PI)

Albanian Language Media 

Kurti: The pressure should be on Belgrade; we welcome U.S. role (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that the pressure for a final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia should be on Belgrade and that he welcomes the role of the United States of America in the process. “I believe that normalization is possible. The pressure should be on Belgrade and we always welcome the role of the United States of America, who are our main ally, irreplaceable partner and special friend in three key areas: defense, diplomacy and development,” Kurti said when asked to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statement about the situation in the Middle East and his reference to relations between Kosovo and Serbia. “We have a basic agreement with Serbia and Serbia is violating it, and certainly in order to normalize relations between our countries, they [Serbian authorities] need to hand over to us Milan Radoicic, the chief criminal that killed police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, and then agree to sign the Basic Agreement and the implementation annex, and at the same time withdraw the letter from December 2023 when then-Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that they don’t respect Kosovo’s territorial integrity,” Kurti added. 

Kurti accuses MPs of other parties for blocking constitution of Assembly (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that MPs from other parties are blocking the constitution of the new Kosovo Assembly. “Kosovo has a government; it is a caretaker government with limited competencies according to Article 31 of the Law on Government. What Kosovo does not have is an Assembly. I go there every time to constitute the Assembly, those that come there and boycott by not voting, I don’t know why they come there. To my knowledge, going to the continuation of the session and boycotting the vote is irresponsible political behavior, and legally it is a violation of the Constitution. The constitution of the Assembly is the responsibility of only the winner of the elections, but of all. After we constitute the Assembly, it will be my responsibility to form the new government. Until the new government, we have this caretaker government,” he argued.

Kurti called on members of the Kosovo Assembly to take part in the vote in line with the decision of the Constitutional Court and their rights and obligations. “And since we tried the open vote, let us try the secret vote too, because that is what the decision of the Constitutional Court in 2014 foresees. The way out of what is being called a deadlock is clear, and it only takes willingness to take that way,” he said.

LDK MP reacts to Kurti: You have usurped the PM’s Office (media)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Jehona Lushaku-Sadriu reacted to a statement by caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti who said today that MPs that are not voting for the new Assembly Speaker are violating the Constitution of Kosovo. According to Lushaku-Sadriu, Kurti has usurped the Office of the Prime Minister without having a majority in the Assembly and against every constitutional norm. “He calls the disobedience of MPs toward his personal will ‘a violation of the Constitution’! This is the logic of a man that sees himself above the law and above the Constitution,” she said.

Lushaku-Sadriu further claimed that in the previous mandate, Kurti and his government have violated the Constitution at least ten times, such as with “the law on the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, interfering in the municipality of Kamenica about reforms in education, the law on public officials, the law on temporary measures in the market, dismissing the RTK Board, dismissing the Civil Service Oversight Council, dismissing the member of the board of the Procurement Review body, the law on the Bureau for the Confiscation of Unjustifiable Wealth, the law on Civil Service Oversight Council”.

Court holds an initial hearing about Meja massacre in April 1999 (media)

All media outlets report that the initial hearing about the massacre in Meja and other villages in the Gjakova region was held today at the Basic Court in Pristina. The prosecutor of the case said that international warrants have been issued for the suspects who carried out the massacre. In April 1999, at least 377 Albanian Catholic and Muslim civilians were killed by Serbian forces with the purpose of ethnic cleansing. The majority of the victims were from neighboring areas around Meja and were temporarily in Meja as refugees who wanted to cross into Albania but were stopped there by the Serbian military. The victims were pulled from refugee convoys at a checkpoint in Meja and their families were ordered to proceed to Albania. Men and boys were separated and then executed by the road. It was one of the largest massacres during the war in Kosovo. Many of the bodies of the victims were found in the Batajnica mass graves in Serbia. 

“Oil products rising due to tensions between Israel and Iran” (media)

Several news websites report that the chairman of the association of oil workers of Kosovo, Fadil Bernjani, said in a Facebook post today that “oil products are rising due to mounting tensions between Israel and Iraq”. “This is causing fear of a stoppage of supply, and this is affecting the prices,” he said. Bernjani also argued that “any escalation of the situation will have an even bigger impact on increased oil prices and that an eventual peace mediated by the United States could calm the oil market”.

Serbian Language Media

Klokot Municipality President detained for two and a half hours at the "Bela Zemlja" crossing (RTS, Tanjug, KiM radio) 

Vladan Bogdanovic, the mayor of Klokot, was detained this morning at the "Bela Zemlja" administrative checkpoint by Kosovo police officers. After being detained for more than two and a half hours, Bogdanovic was released and continued his journey to Niš, where he had a scheduled medical examination, reported RTS. 

Bogdanovic told Radio and Television of Serbia that he was detained by police officers at the "Bela Zemlja" checkpoint at around 5:40 this morning, without any explanation, as he claims.

"I handed over my documents and then the police came out and arrested me. They grabbed me by the arms and took me to the barracks at the crossing. I stood there for two and a half hours, without any explanation. They waited for some other police officers to come. After two and a half hours of waiting, plainclothes police officers arrived, put me in their car and we headed towards Gnjilane at around nine o'clock. When I asked what the reason for my arrest was and where they were taking me, they replied that they were taking me to Gnjilane for questioning, that I should give a statement and that they would release me," Bogdanovic said.

He stressed that in the meantime the police had received a call and informed him that he could continue his journey towards central Serbia.

"They returned my documents and phone, took me to the crossing, let me skip the line and I am currently in Serbia," Bogdanovic said.

He stated that he lives in Klokot, where he works as the mayor of the municipality and, as he says, where he can always be found.

"I was at work last week. If there is a reason, they can find me both at work and at home. This is not the way for someone to stop me at a crossing and hold me for two and a half hours. If there is anything, and I am 100 percent sure that there is nothing, then they could have come, and come to my home. They decided to hold me this morning, when I was on my way to the laboratory and then for an examination," Bogdanovic concluded.

Gavrilo Milosavljevic acquitted of the indictment for war crimes (Kosovo Online, KiM radio, KoSSev)

Gavrilo Milosavljevic from Istok, who is charged by the Special Prosecutor's Office with an alleged war crime in Dubrava prison in 1999, was acquitted today before the Special Division of the Basic Court in Pristina, reported Kosovo Online. 

Judge Vesel Ismaili, reading the verdict, pointed out that Milosavljevic was acquitted of the indictment since it was not proven that he had committed the criminal act for which he was accused.

The prosecution accused Milosavljevic of being a participant in the mass murders of prisoners of Albanian nationality in the prison in Dubrava that lasted from May 22, 1999 to May 24, 1999, when 109 prisoners were killed and 108 were wounded, as stated in the indictment.

Milosavljevic was arrested on December 2, 2022. The indictment against him was filed on November 29, 2023. At the hearing held on December 7, 2023, he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Milosavljevic stated at the trial that during the war period he did not visit this Penitentiary and that he heard about the events in Dubrava only after moving to central Serbia. He also indicated that even though he often came to Kosovo after the war, he was arrested when he tried to recover usurped property.

Petkovic: Kurti does not want agreements, nor dialogue, but wants to expel Serbs (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic said in a post on social network X everybody knows that PM in technical mandate Albin Kurti rejected the Washington Agreement, so it was comical that he praises the role of the USA and attacks Belgrade, reported Kosovo Online. 

''It is comical that Kurti praises the role of the USA and attacks Belgrade. Everyone knows that Kurti personally rejected the Washington Agreement, fiercely challenging President Trump and that he has been refusing to fulfill the Brussels Agreement for 12 years.

Kurti does not want agreements, nor dialogue, but wants to expel Serbs! Therefore, urgent de-escalation and the formation of the Community of Serbian municipalities are a prerequisite for any progress in the dialogue!'', posted Petkovic on X.

Serbian Democracy: Institutional mechanisms of collective punishment directed by Kosovo MIA (Radio KiM, Radio Mitrovica sever)

Serbian Democracy expressed sharp protest today because of "the arbitrary revocation of Kosovo citizenship from Serbs and their illegal deportations", assessing it as "institutional mechanism of collective punishment under the direction of Kosovo Minister of Internal Affairs in a technical mandate, Xhelal Svecla".

In the statement, they emphasize that members of the Serbian MIA, who live in Kosovo, were deported without any warning, arrest warrant or court decision.

"Although there is no criminal charge against the deportees that they "threatened national security", Minister in the technical mandate Xhelal Svecla made decisions that violate Articles 8 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to a legal remedy and the right to family life), discriminates against the citizens of Kosovo on ethnic and political grounds only because they are Serbs, as well as violates Articles 31 and 24 of the Constitution of Kosovo," the statement read.

Serbian Democracy warns the public, the international community and the embassies in Pristina that in this way "a legally dangerous and politically motivated mechanism of the institutional exclusion of Serbs from Kosovo was launched, through the practice of arbitrary revocation of citizenship, deportations and prohibition of return, carried out without trial, without evidence and without legal remedy".

The party appealed to the international community, including UNMIK, OSCE, the European Union, EULEX, as well as the embassies of the United States of America and Germany in Pristina, to react urgently and ensure the fulfillment of the demands, which include: "immediate suspension of arbitrary decisions on revocation of citizenship without prior court proceedings, full transparency in the implementation of the Law on Citizenship, as well as guarantees of legal equality for all citizens, regardless of their nationality."

The statement concludes that the Serbian people have every right to remain in Kosovo as an equal part of society, and that Serbian Democracy will not remain silent and calmly watch as citizens of Serbian nationality are deleted from the system and declared undesirable without any basis and in violation of all legal standards.

In the end, they say that Kosovo belongs to everyone who lives there - equally to Serbs, as well as Albanians, Bosniaks, Roma, Gorani, and others - and that only a society in which all citizens enjoy the same rights can have a stable future.

Rasic reminds of Serbs’ right to freely use their symbols (Radio KIM, KoSSev)

“Respecting the rights of the Serbian community to use their symbols does not represent endangerment of anyone’s identity, but rather confirmation of Kosovo commitment as democratic society based on respecting human and minority rights”, outgoing Kosovo Minister for Communities and Returns Nenad Rasic said in relation to the recent decision of Basic Court in Pristina to ban Gracanica municipality from displaying Serbian flags and symbols on the occasion of Saint Vitus Day, Radio KIM reported.

In a written statement, Rasic reminded Kosovo institutions that in line with the Constitution and the laws, the Serbian community has guaranteed rights when it comes to use of national symbols, including flags, coat of arms, language, alphabet and other identity symbols. In this regard, Rasic specifically referred to articles 58 and 59 of the Kosovo Constitution, Law on protection and promotion of the rights of communities and their members in Kosovo and the Law on use of languages.

He urged all responsible institutions to fully respect constitutional and legal guarantees in order to ensure consistent implementation of these rights in practice, without political pressure, discrimination or administrative obstacles. “In the interest of peace and co-existence, we expect constructive approach of all stakeholders and consistent implementation of the law”, Rasic said in a statement. 

KoSSev in its report on Rasic’s statement said it concluded with remarks that “the court in Kosovo in essence has no right to ban use of flags or other national symbols of the Serbian community as it will run contrary to the Constitution and Kosovo laws, guaranteeing these rights”. However, according to Rasic, there are “specific situation” referring here, as the portal said, to decisions of Gracanica Municipal Assembly from June 7, 2023 and June 10, 2024, and that in these situations “the Basic Court may limit and sanction use of national symbols, but only if that is in line with the law and if there is a legitimate legal ground”. 

26 years since kidnapping of SOC monk Hariton in Prizren (Radio Gorazdevac, Radio KIM)

On June 15, 1999, shortly after the arrival of international military forces in Kosovo, Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) monk Hariton was kidnapped in Prizren, Radio Gorazdevac reported on Sunday. This Sunday marked the 26th anniversary of Father Hariton's kidnapping.

Father Hariton was kidnapped on June 15, 1999 in Prizren. He was the monk of the Serbian Orthodox Church Saint Archangels Monastery, near this city.

After more than a year of looking for him, the Commission for Exhumation of Missing and Kidnapped Serbs found his massacred and decapitated body, on August 8, 2000, in an unmarked grave, at the Albanian cemetery in the village of Tusus, near Prizren. Bodies of several other kidnapped Serbs were also found at the same location.

According to the autopsy report his body revealed signs of severe torture, including broken spine, several broken ribs and bones in the left arm as well as torn clothing indicating stabbing in stomach and heart area. His decapitated head had not been found to date, Radio Gorazdevac recalled.

Radio Gorazdevac, few years ago prepared a short story on the only two missing religious clergy members in the area of entire Yugoslavia, both perishing in Kosovo, after the end of conflict, Father Hariton and Deacon Stefan from Budisavce Monastery, near Klina, whose whereabouts are still unknown. 

Kosovo and Serbia: When sports become a political battlefield (KoSSev)

For years, sports between Belgrade and Pristina have been more than just a game. From Kosovo’s pursuit of international recognition and medal wins to the restrictions and obstacles faced by Serbian clubs and athletes within Kosovo, the sports arena has become a stage for clashing politics, identity, and the rules of international sports federations. While different flags are raised and anthems played at competitions, many athletes, including young Serbs from Kosovo, remain caught in the crossfire, struggling for the right to compete and be recognized.

Although wartime conflicts have been replaced by sports rivalries, sports also offer a glimmer of hope — a chance for fair play and cooperation, potentially realized through joint initiatives as early as 2027.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y38fjprx

Opinion

Palokaj: You are all right – and what now? (Koha)

Brussels-based correspondent Augustin Palokaj writes in an opinion piece that the marathon in the Kosovo Assembly where MPs meet with the goal of not forming the institutions based on the election results, has irritated people both in Kosovo and in the diaspora. “Some go so far that they say they have regretted spending time, and even money, to vote and that they will no longer do that. Others naively hope that ‘internationals will come and scold them, and they will form the institutions’ as has happened in the past”.

“The insistence of political parties in Kosovo on principles, believing that they are right, has now created an institutional crisis which is detrimental at this point. Never after the war has there been this much dissatisfaction by the people with the political structures. Political parties must be aware that they have extremely irritated society, and they need to find a solution to quickly emerge from the crisis. 

When one hears the statements of representatives of political parties you get the impression that everyone’s argument is logical and can be true. The relative winner of the elections, Vetevendosje, is right when it says that it alone has the right to propose a Speaker of the Assembly and it has done that. But the opposition too is right when it says that it is not obliged to vote in favor of the winner’s proposal. Then Vetevendosje is right when it says that in that case it will act according to the principle of reciprocity and will not vote for the opposition’s candidates for deputy speakers. It is also right that other parties cannot impose on them who to propose [for Assembly Speaker]. And it is right when it says that they ‘will not give up on principles’.

Bravo, you are all right! But what now. What is the solution if everyone insists on what they consider a principled position. 

One can understand the many tactics of political parties, especially bearing in mind the local elections in autumn, and those elections are very important for the political parties. Because, whether they admit it or not, in Kosovo as in other countries in the region, political parties have clients too, not only voters. And they need to be kept. It is easier to keep them when power, be it at the central or local level, it has power or some share of the power.

The behavior of politicians leaves the impression that they are not in a hurry. This is irresponsibility, especially when compared to developed countries where delays in forming the government oftentimes last for months. Belgium for example has the world record for the duration of forming a government after the elections, leaving the country with an outgoing government for 589 days. Kosovo doesn’t have this luxury, because it is not a state where the public administration is depoliticized, where the energy market is completely regulated and without political interference, and when the people don’t feel the lack of a new government on their skin.

If a solution is not found with this composition of the Assembly and if new elections are held in autumn, Kosovo could remain without a government until spring 2026. Because after elections comes the counting of votes, then complaints, then the constitution of the Assembly and then the formation of the new government. And it could happen that the result of the elections will not be much different from the one in February. Kosovo doesn’t have that much time to wait. A political solution is needed through compromise, because in politics compromise is part of the game and not something evil.

Gogic: Expulsion of four Serbs from Kosovo an example of ethnically motivated pseudo-legal lawlessness (Kosovo Online, FB)

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic stated that the expulsion of four Serbs from Kosovo, where they have lived their entire lives, represents a level of pseudo-legal lawlessness rarely seen elsewhere.

In a Facebook post, Gogic emphasized that four Serbs have been expelled from Kosovo in the past two days following an identical pattern.

"The Kosovo Minister of Internal Affairs ordered that their Kosovo citizenship be revoked and that they be deported, allegedly because they work for the Serbian police. So, because of where they supposedly work, they have now been expelled from Kosovo, where they lived their entire lives as full-fledged citizens. This is a level of pseudo-legal lawlessness you can hardly find anywhere. It is true that there is a legal basis for revoking citizenship. Citizenship may be revoked if a person holds another citizenship and acts against national security, which may include working for foreign security services. In theory, such a possibility exists, but it is far from something that can be decided instantly at the minister's discretion. The legal procedure is lengthier and more complex," Gogic wrote on FB. 

He stressed that even if there is a legal basis for revoking citizenship, that does not mean the minister can arbitrarily decide whom to expel.

"Where did he even get information that these people worked in Serbia, for whom, and in what capacity? What kind of data does he possess, and was it obtained legally? If there truly are security risks, why haven’t proper legal proceedings been initiated against those individuals? If they committed unlawful acts, how is it that the very first measure applied against them is stripping them of all rights?" he asked.

He stated that the answer was obvious.

"Legal proceedings require time and evidence, while in this way everything is resolved by shortcut. The minister can literally make up anything about anyone and, based on that — however he pleases — expel from Kosovo, without court, without evidence, without the right to defense or legal remedy, individuals who have spent their entire lives there. That is exactly what happened. If and when a decision to revoke citizenship is made, it must be individualized and proportional. It deeply infringes upon fundamental human rights, including the right to a home, freedom of movement, and legal certainty," Gogic noted.

He added that the fact such decisions were made in a serial manner, overnight, against several people from the same ethnic group, and without any transparent procedure, clearly shows that this is an abuse of authority and an ethnically motivated crackdown and persecution.

"This is such blatant legal violence that there isn’t even an attempt to conceal how contrary it is to the basic principles of the rule of law, legal certainty, and human rights protection. When a single minister can decide who deserves to remain in their home, without evidence or due process, that is not law — it is ethnic cleansing masked as legality," Gogic concluded.

International

Neglected and abused: Families search for wartime missing while facing trauma alone (PI)

Families of missing persons from the 1998-99 Kosovo war have been left without institutional support and often fall prey to fraudsters promising to find and return their loved ones.

On May 10, 1999, Luljeta Sharani’s husband and two sons were murdered by Serbian forces in Gjakova. Their bodies have not been found to this day.

Sharani has spent decades in search of her family members, even falling prey to fraudsters who exploit the grief of families who lost loved ones during the 1998-99 Kosovo war.

“He [the fraudster] told me: ‘Don’t worry, they’re alive. All three of them. A million percent,’” Sharani told Prishtina Insight.

“And I believed him,” she said in despair.

Sharani’s case is not an isolated incident. Over the years, fraudsters have promised many families they would find and return their loved ones—the Kosovo wartime missing—alive, often with claims they were being held in Serbia.

Bekim Blakaj, director of the Humanitarian Law Centre Kosovo, HLCK, a Prishtina based NGO focusing on transitional justice, told Prishtina Insight that, “one elderly man even sold his land in Gjakova to pay fraudsters claiming they could return his son.”

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/3hkJw