Albanian Language Media:

 

• MPs agree to postpone assembly constitutive session for Sunday (media)
• Kurti calls meeting with party leaders on Saturday (media)
• Haxhiu: If I don’t get at least 61 votes in secret vote, I will withdraw (media)Kurti: Serbia can provoke incidents in Gazimestan tomorrow (Koha)
• Tahiri: We stand behind position for a government with LDK, Alliance (Express)
• Special prosecution files war crimes charges against a person (media)

Serbian Language Media:

 

• Saint Vitus Day to be traditionally marked in Gracanica, but with anxiety over ban to display Serbian flags (Radio KIM)
• 26 years since kidnapping and murder of Serbs in Dojnice village commemorated in Saint George Church in Prizren (TV Most, RTV Gracanica)
• Another indictment for war crimes: D.R. accused of attacks on the Albanian civilian population (KoSSev)
• Sljuka: EU at an impasse – no de-escalation, no consensus on lifting sanctions on Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• Djuric thanks Brazil for consistent support on Kosovo issue (Euronews Serbian, media)
• Assange's legal team thanked the Journalists' Association of Serbia for fighting for freedom of WikiLeaks founder (KoSSev, UNS)

International:

• Kosovo prepares for deportees from US amid warnings Balkans becoming a migrant 'Warehouse' (RFE)
• U.S. delays sanctions on Serbia's NIS until July 29 – report (SeeNews)

Albanian Language Media 

MPs agree to postpone assembly constitutive session for Sunday (media)

Members of the Kosovo Assembly have agreed to postpone today’s constitutive session for Sunday after a ruling by the Constitutional Court on Thursday which obliges them to form the new legislative within 30 days. Constitutive session chair Avni Dehari said the decision was made after a consultative meeting with representatives of all parliamentary parties. The decision also comes after an invitation by Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti to heads of parliamentary parties to meet on Saturday in an attempt to reach a political agreement for the deadlock. 

Kurti calls meeting with party leaders on Saturday (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister and leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, said in a Facebook post today that the ruling of the Constitutional Court clearly notes that the obligation to form the Assembly is an obligation of all MPs and not only of the first party. “As leader of the Vetevendosje Movement and on behalf of the biggest parliamentary group from the February 9 2025 elections, I have addressed all leaders of entities represented in the ninth legislative today to take part in a joint meeting on Saturday at 16:00, in another effort to reach consensus for the constitution of the Assembly,” Kurti said.

Haxhiu: If I don’t get at least 61 votes in secret vote, I will withdraw (media)

MP from the Vetevendosje Movement and candidate for Assembly Speaker, Albulena Haxhiu, said today that if she doesn’t get at least 61 votes through a secret vote she will withdraw from her candidacy. “In a secret vote from all MPs, as requested by the Constitutional Court, if I don’t get at least 61 votes I will withdraw from my candidacy as Speaker of the Assembly,” she told reporters.

Kurti: Serbia can provoke incidents in Gazimestan tomorrow (Koha)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that security and intelligence institutions in Kosovo have assessed that there are efforts for the rally in Gazimestan to mark the St. Vitus day on Saturday to be massive. He argued that the regime in Serbia can provoke incidents in Gazimestan in order to shift the attention away from the protests in Belgrade tomorrow. 

Kurti called on Serb citizens to respect the law and not fall for provocations. “In order to shift the attention away from anti-government protests on the same day in Serbia, the regime in Serbia may try to use destructive elements to provoke incidents in Gazimestan. According to assessments by our security and intelligence institutions, there are efforts to make the rally in Gazimestan as massive as possible. For this purpose, groups of Serbs from Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia have been organized to come to Kosovo tomorrow. Traditionally such groups have been provoking. I call on our fellow citizens, especially the Serb community, to respect the law. We call on our fellow citizens not to fall for provocations tomorrow,” he said.

Tahiri: We stand behind position for a government with LDK, Alliance (Express)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Abelard Tahiri said today that PDK leader Memli Krasniqi and their candidate for Prime Minister Bedri Hamza present the party’s positions on possible coalitions. He said that there can be different positions on the matter within the PDK but that they remain individual positions. “The united position of the PDK is presented by the leader of the PDK. Such issues [eventual coalitions] have been discussed in PDK forums. We stand behind the position that the PDK needs to form a government that would be led by Bedri Hamza, and this is more important than all others. We prefer a government with the parties that have been in the opposition, namely with the LDK and the Alliance [for the Future of Kosovo]. The country needs a new approach and a government that will help it emerge from the crisis and the sanctions. If we continue on the same path with those that have brought the country in this situation and sanctions, we cannot expect different results,” Tahiri told reporters today.

Special prosecution files war crimes charges against a person (media)

Most news websites report that the Special Prosecution of Kosovo has filed an indictment against a person – with initials D.R. – for war crimes against civilians in Gjakova in May 1999. The defendant is charged with taking part in an organized attack by Serbian forces against the Albanian civilian population. He is accused of killing three Albanian civilians, physical mistreatment, and forceful expulsion of Albanians from their neighborhoods, and looting and destroying houses in the city of Gjakova. The indictment is based on testimonies by victims, eyewitnesses, identification through photos, reports by the Forensics Institute and other material evidence. The defendant is in detention and the prosecution has asked for the detention to be extended. 

Serbian Language Media

Saint Vitus Day to be traditionally marked in Gracanica, but with anxiety over ban to display Serbian flags (Radio KIM)

Saint Vitus Day, one of the most significant dates in Serbian history, symbol of national struggle and spirituality, this year as well, will be commemorated in several Serbian areas in Kosovo. The central manifestations take place in Gracanica and Gazimestan Monument, however, the holiday is also observed in Gusterica and Babin Most. This year it is overshadowed by the ban on displaying Serbian flags in Gracanica, Radio KIM reported.

This holiday linked with the Kosovo Battle from 1389, but also to many other turning points in the Serbian history, traditionally begins in Gracanica with a liturgy in the Monastery, and continues with a memorial service for fallen Serbian heroes at Gazimestan Monument who fought against Ottoman forces in the Kosovo Battle seven centuries ago.

For the residents of central Kosovo in addition to the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumption Holiday on August 28, this is one of the two biggest holidays, so most of them celebrate it in assembly.

"On Saint Vitus Day, together with the family, we will attend in the morning the liturgy at Gracanica Monastery, while in the afternoon and throughout the day we welcome guests at home. In the evening, we go for a short walk with the children and so every year, mostly in the same way. When we were younger, we also went to Gazimestan, but now our obligations are greater, so we don't come", a passer-by in Gracanica said.

Others said they will welcome their guests at home, go for liturgy, but noted that celebrations are not the same this year as they used to be.

This year's celebration is overshadowed by the decision of the Pristina Basic Court to ban the display of Serbian symbols. The court annulled the decision of Gracanica municipality to mark this holiday by displaying Serbian national symbols, claiming such “practice undermines constitutional order” and “may provoke inter-ethnic tensions”. The court’s decision was met with sharp condemnation from some political parties, including Serbian List who announced the appeal against it.

Although they prepare for the holiday, residents in Gracanica are embittered with the decision of the Pristina Basic Court.

One of them said it was an honor to pay tribute to the fallen heroes of the Kosovo Battle before but that politics is taking its toll today. “(…) They (Pristina authorities) have banned use of symbols, our children had to take their shirts off if any Serbian marking was on them ... .Even here in Gracanica we are banned from displaying Serbian flags. We have been living in a ghetto for 25 years, instead of things getting better, they get worse day after day. Institutions are closed, we do not have (Serbian) banks, post offices are closed, it is only left for them to close our schools and that would be an end to the Serbs’ existence in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija”, another resident said.

A female resident said the biggest problem is that Pristina does not allow display of Serbian flags, asking who is bothered by the Serbian flag as it is only one of the symbols used to mark Saint Vitus Day. She expressed concern that this year as well there will be problems, as no celebration of this holiday passed without arrests and provocations over the years. 

26 years since kidnapping and murder of Serbs in Dojnice village commemorated in Saint George Church in Prizren (TV Most, RTV Gracanica)

The Abbot of Saint Archangels Monastery, Father Mihajlo, served a memorial at Saint George Church in Prizren today dedicated to the Serbs from Dojnice village who were kidnapped and killed 26 years ago, TV Most reported citing Radio Television of Gracanica. 

Members of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) kidnapped and killed 17 residents of Dojnice village, near Prizren in 1999. Among those kidnapped were 9 elderly women. Bodies of 16 Serbs and one Bosniak have never been found.

In an address following the memorial service, Assistant Director of Office for Kosovo and Metohija Milena Parlic said “what is the most painful is that this crime, almost as all other crimes that took place following Kumanovo Agreement, happened in the presence of 50.000 international forces members, who observed silently (what was going on)”.

Parlic also said among those missing were “9 women, who vanished without trace after being kidnapped, tortured and raped”.

Bojan Arbutina, Director of the Museum of Genocide in Belgrade, said “Serbian people suffered in these areas for centuries, since Kosovo Battle up to date”. Historian Nemanja Dimitrijevic said every victim deserves memorial and remorse, and every crime should be prosecuted.

By joint decision of family members of those who perished, Raska-Prizren Eparchy, Office for Kosovo and Metohija, House of Culture Gracanica and Archive of Kosovo and Metohija the date of Dojnice residents kidnappings will be marked every year by memorial and service dedicated not only to those from Dojnice village but to entire Prizren region. 

Another indictment for war crimes: D.R. accused of attacks on the Albanian civilian population (KoSSev)

The Kosovo Special Prosecutor's Office filed a new indictment for war crimes. D.R, who is suspected of having committed this criminal act in May 1999, was accused, reported KoSSev. 

The Special Prosecutor's Office announced today that it filed an indictment for the criminal offense of "War Crimes against the Civilian Population", sanctioned under Article 142 of the Criminal Code of the SFRY, which was in force at the time the criminal offense was committed.

"The investigation established that in the period from May 7 to 10, 1999, in the city of Djakovica, the defendant participated in a widespread and organized attack of Serbian military, police and paramilitary forces on the Albanian civilian population, acting in complicity with other persons," the prosecution stated.

D.R. is specifically charged with the murder of three Albanian civilians, the forced emigration of the Albanian civilian population from their settlements, the looting and destruction of houses in several settlements of Djakovica. 

The indictment is based on the statements of victims and eyewitnesses, on the identification of the defendant through photographs, reports from the Institute of Forensic Medicine, as well as other material evidence collected during the investigation, the Prosecution announced.

D.R. is currently in custody, and the prosecution proposed an extension of this measure, due to the alleged risk of escape.

The Special Prosecutor's Office did not provide other details about the accused, including when and where he was arrested. However, a person with the initials D.R. was arrested on February 25 at Jarinje precisely on suspicion of having committed a war crime in the Djakovica region, but in the period from May 1 to 19, writes KoSSev.

Sljuka: EU at an impasse – no de-escalation, no consensus on lifting sanctions on Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Aleksandar Sljuka, from New Social Initiative told Kosovo Online that by imposing sanctions on Kosovo two years ago, the European Union intended to send a message that Kosovo Government should stop its unilateral actions and de-escalation to take place. However, he added, over the past two years, the opposite has happened – numerous new unilateral actions and escalations on the ground.

“When we hear talk of lifting the measures, and that Kosovo officials have repeatedly called for it over these two years, we see it as a farce, given that the situation on the ground has been deteriorating day by day and de-escalation has not occurred. In that context, what the EU hoped to achieve clearly hasn’t been achieved, and it finds itself at an impasse with these measures, since there is now no consensus to lift them, and the situation on the ground is not improving either”, Sljuka says.

He believes that the punitive measures imposed by the EU have primarily hurt people in Kosovo.

“The problem is that people still don’t see how destructive Albin Kurti’s policies are for the people of Kosovo themselves, and here I’m referring primarily to Kosovo Albanians, who make up the majority of his support. Kosovo Serbs have seen and felt it multiple times, and they know that these policies are not good for them, but Albanians still don’t see that. We’ll see whether, with the extension of the measures under which Kosovo is continuously losing more and more, voters in the next elections will realize this and punish Kurti, or whether they will continue to be deceived by the nationalism he sells instead of striving for a better socio-economic standard for the people”, he underlined.

Djuric thanks Brazil for consistent support on Kosovo issue (Euronews Serbian, media)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric spoke on the margins of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, with the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Brazil Secretary General, Ambassador Maria Laura da Rocha and thanked her for the principled support this country provides to Serbia over the Kosovo issue.

During a meeting held in Antigua and Barbuda, Djuric also informed his interlocutor about the current situation and position of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.

He pointed out that Serbia is committed to strengthening overall ties with Brazil, bearing in mind that that country is one of our most important political and economic partners in Latin America.

Assange's legal team thanked the Journalists' Association of Serbia for fighting for freedom of WikiLeaks founder (KoSSev, UNS)

The legal team that represented Julian Assange before the European Court of Human Rights thanked the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) for its support during all the years of the WikiLeaks founder's fight for freedom, reported KoSSev.

The UNS made this announcement yesterday. 

"As members of the legal team for Julian Assange's case before the European Court of Human Rights, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for your invaluable contribution over the past years," it was said in the email sent to the UNS by Assange's legal team.

The legal battle lasted 14 years

The UNS recalled that on June 24, a year ago, Assange was released from the specially guarded Belmarsh prison in London to sign a plea agreement with the American authorities in the Northern Mariana Islands.

The legal battle lasted 14 years, five of which Assange spent in Belmarsh prison.

By signing this agreement, Assange pleaded guilty to the unauthorized acquisition and publication of classified documents, was credited with the time spent in prison and released.

US prosecutors originally wanted to try the WikiLeaks founder on 18 counts, mostly under the Espionage Act.

Since then, according to his legal team, Assange has been "reunited with his family, committed to their well-being and his own recovery after years of persecution and isolation."

"We are relieved that the suffering of Mr. Assange and his family has ended. We firmly believe that the freedom of Mr. Assange would not have been possible without the support of various sectors of civil society, which included various activities - from public demonstrations to negotiations that were not public, daily and persistent activism," added Assange's team in an email to the UNS, as stated by this Association.

According to UNS, the members of Assange's legal team emphasize that they are "immensely grateful for the joint effort". This collective effort showed the world that things can change when people come together around shared values.

"We hope that this fight for freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed will become the foundation for the further progress of human rights wherever possible," Assange's legal team stated, UNS pointed out.

International

Kosovo prepares for deportees from US amid warnings Balkans becoming a migrant 'Warehouse' (RFE)

With illegal immigration a fraught issue in Europe and the United States, Western countries are increasingly kicking the political football over to the Balkans. But questions are building over whether the countries of the region are ready to catch it.

Take Kosovo, for example, which recently agreed to take in up to 50 migrants being deported from the United States and headed for other countries. Separately, Pristina has expressed willingness to take in migrants rejected by the UK.

Meanwhile, Albania has an agreement with Italy to accommodate migrants, and North Macedonia is rumored to have discussed a similar agreement with the UK. Bosnia-Herzegovina cooperates closely with the EU on migration, receiving funding and other support for migrant reception centers.

The flood of commitments has prompted Human Rights Watch (HRW) to issue a warning about the Balkans becoming a "warehouse for migrants."

HRW’s Michael Bochenek told RFE/RL that when compared to some countries slated to house deported migrants, such as Rwanda, South Sudan, and Libya, "Balkan countries don't have a really terrible history of human rights violations.”

But, he added, pressure from the EU on Balkan states is also likely playing a role in taking in migrants.

"For better or worse these [Balkan] governments may have a sense of obligation to the European Union and therefore may be more open to such demands," he says.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y6tvwsux

U.S. delays sanctions on Serbia's NIS until July 29 – report (SeeNews)

The U.S. Treasury Department has postponed enforcement of sanctions against Serbia's Russian-controlled oil and gas producer NIS by one month, until July 29, public broadcaster RTS reported on Friday, without specifying its sources.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/49xsrhcc