UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 22, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Hovenier on NATO raids in ‘99: Let’s remove every doubt, the world witnessed an ethnic cleansing, use of force was necessary (Gazeta Express)
Citaku: We’ve called for early elections since July last year (Nacionale)
Tahiri: 3rd year of bad governance, Kurti gives up and calls for elections (media)
Pacolli comments on if he would vote for ousting Kurti government (Indeksonline)
U.S. Embassy: Honored to have Robinson visit Kosovo this week (media)
Musliu: After failure in Banjska, Serbia may provoke with official troops (Telegrafi)
50 organizations send open letter to Kurti on “critical situation of rivers” (Kallxo)
AmCham comments on “political interference in justice institutions” (media)
Hoxhaj hails decision for membership negotiations with Bosnia (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Starovic: Kurti invents invasion to continue mistreatment of Serbs in Kosovo (Tanjug)
Ministry of Defence: Kurti’s allegations on movement of Serbian Army near administrative line continuation of disinformation campaign (Kosovo Online, Danas, media)
Pantic-Pilja: Bakoyannis recommended Kosovo's admission to the CoE (Kosovo Online, Blic)
Sentic: Serbian is one of the two equal official languages in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
KDI Director: Serbs have right to Cyrillic, populist behavior of authorities instead of promoting dialogue, cooperation and integration (KoSSev, media)
Media Center Caglavica journalists received accreditation from Presidency, in Albanian language (medijacentar.info)
Dacic: Serbia-Russia intergovernmental committee to meet in autumn (Tanjug)
Pristina: Both Kurti and the opposition ready for early elections (RTS)

Opinion:

Timothy Less on burst of fire from Pristina: Mix of nervousness and excessive efforts (Blic)
Tatal: Super Election Year May Hold Key to Bosnia’s Fate (BIRN)

International:

Yugoslavia’s NATO Bombing Victims: Official Death Toll Unclear, 25 Years Later (BIRN)
Serbia Mulls Scrapping Ban on Nuclear Power Production (BIRN)

Humanitarian/Development:

CHC in Gracanica responded positively to request that women in labor be accompanied during childbirth (Radio KIM, KoSSev)

Albanian Language Media

Hovenier on NATO raids in ‘99: Let’s remove every doubt, the world witnessed an ethnic cleansing, use of force was necessary (Gazeta Express)

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said in a conference of the Council of Kosovo Ambassadors today, that the use of force was necessary and legitimate by NATO during the 1999 bombing campaign to stop the ethnic cleansing of Albanians in Kosovo.

“I want to use this opportunity because in the coming days we will hear a number of narratives concerning the events of 25 years ago. So I am going to make a definitive position, not by Jeff Hovenier, but an official position of the United States. My government will have the opportunity to explain it even better in the coming days, but I am doing this now in order to remove every doubt about the events of 25 years ago,” he said. “25 years ago, the world witnessed a terrible ethnic cleansing campaign by Milosevic’s machinery here in Kosovo. I personally remember it and I know that many of you know when the talks in Rambouillet ended. I was in Paris when that happened. We had exhausted all diplomatic efforts and means to stop the brutality of Milosevic’s horrible regime. As President Clinton said in 1999, one day before the start of the operation of allied forces: ‘if President Milosevic doesn’t want to make peace, we have the will to stop his capacity to wage war in Kosovo’. Now we are marking this 25th anniversary in this cooperation solemnly. We remember hundreds of thousands of people that left their families. We regret the loss of many civilian lives, including those that died during the NATO operation. After exhausting all alternatives to stop the bloodshed, NATO had the moral imperative to act and we did act. The use of force was necessary and legitimate, given the humanitarian crisis that the world was seeing in real time. As President Clinton said, and I quote: ‘we acted to protect thousands of Kosovo citizens from a military and police offensive and we acted to prevent a greater war. We act to stand in unity with all our allies for peace”.

Hovenier said that the NATO operation brought back refugees regardless of their ethnicity to their homes and made efforts to restore peace. “The U.S. supported NATO during the 78-day campaign to stop the Milosevic’s regime ethnic cleansing and contributed with diplomatic pressure too. The operation paved the way to end hostilities and created conditions for the return of refugees of all ethnicities that called Kosovo home. All our efforts were for a shared vision for a Europe that is free and in peace. You have heard these words. This was the guiding principle of the U.S. in our engagement after the Cold War too. The terrible things that happened 25 years ago should never happen again. We remain committed to supporting the stabilizing role of the NATO force in Kosovo,” he said.

Citaku: We’ve called for early elections since July last year (Nacionale)

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Citaku, commented on a recent statement by Prime Minister Albin Kurti about the possibility of early parliamentary elections. In an interview with the news website, she said that the PDK is ready for elections and that they have called for this since July last year. “Kurti and the government that he leads, have put Kosovo in a headless direction. He polarized the society from within and he has aggravated relations with our allies. He did not start a single capital project let alone finish one,” she argued.

Tahiri: 3rd year of bad governance, Kurti gives up and calls for elections (media)

Head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, Besnik Tahiri, told a press conference today that as a result of the Kurti-led government, “Kosovo has suffered damages and returned to the darkest point”. “We have prepared a request for a parliamentary debate on the third anniversary of this bad governance, which has in reality only brought damage to Kosovo and managed to return it to the darkest point that no one ever believed. However, I am pleased that Prime Minister Albin Kurti admitted yesterday that he needs to resign and that the country needs to go to elections. When he [Kurti] started his mandate, [AAK] leader Haradinaj said he is a deceiver, and people were surprised. What characterized the last three years is a government that does not implement any decision. And as you have seen yourself, the Prime Minister surrendered and is calling for the country to go to elections,” Tahiri said.

Tahiri also said they will present a resolution for the dissolution of the Assembly. “The Vetevendosje Movement is welcome to vote in favor of the motion for dismissal,” he said.

Pacolli comments on if he would vote for ousting Kurti government (Indeksonline)

Leader of the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR), Behgjet Pacolli, said in an interview with the news website today, that he would vote in favor of ousting the Kurti-led government, if his vote “does not cause any pain to Kosovo”. “Certainly my vote would be in favor if this does not cause pain to Kosovo. Everyone knows that I have always tried not to cause any political trauma to the processes in Kosovo. This government has brought Kosovo in an unprecedented position and deserves the merited punishment. I always hoped it would sober up but this has not happened for over three years now,” Pacolli said.

U.S. Embassy: Honored to have Robinson visit Kosovo this week (media)

The United States Embassy in Kosovo said in a Facebook post today that they “were were honored to have U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Intl Narcotics & Law Enforcement (INL) Assistant Secretary Todd Robinson visit Kosovo this week. During his visit, he met Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani, Constitutional Court President Gresa Caka-Nimani, and many representatives from the justice and corrections sectors, prosecution, civil society, and media. He also presided over a donation to the justice and correction systems worth over U.S. $5 million. Assistant Secretary Robinson also enjoyed walking in Prizren and Pristina and he had the chance to speak about his visit in an interview with Leart Hoxha at ATV. You can watch the complete interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SOEuf6uvTM.”

Musliu: After failure in Banjska, Serbia may provoke with official troops (Telegrafi)

Agim Musliu, Director of Pristina-based Octopus, an Institute of Hybrid Warfare Studies, shared a video that was posed on Thursday evening by Prime Minister Albin Kurti showing specialized forces of the Serbian Army several meters away from Kosovo’s territory. Musliu said in his post that the movements of the military movements should be seen as preparations for an act of aggression. “Kosovo must view these movements by Serbia’s military forces as preparations for an act of aggression. After the failed aggression by ‘little green men’, on September 24, 2023, in Banjska, Serbia can now provoke with official forces too,” Musliu argued.

50 organizations send open letter to Kurti on “critical situation of rivers” (Kallxo)

On World Water Day, 50 civil society organizations sent an open letter to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, calling for an urgent meeting to discuss what they called a critical situation concerning the protection of rivers. In their letter, the organizations claim that “[Environmental and Spatial Planning] Minister Liburn Aliu has abandoned the democratic mandate he received from the people, by excluding the public from decision-making processes and by allowing Kosovo’s rivers to be in the control of operators of hydropower plants, for whom every drop of water in rivers is a loss from their pockets”.

AmCham comments on “political interference in justice institutions” (media)

Most news websites cover a press release issued by the American Chamber in Kosovo about “political interference in justice institutions”. The statement notes that: the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo hereby expresses its deep concern regarding the recent suspension of an enforcement agent by the Ministry of Justice. This act, as perceived by AmCham and its members, constitutes a worrying instance of interference in the independent judicial processes of Kosovo. As a leading advocate for the interests of businesses and investors in Kosovo, AmCham is steadfast in its belief that the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary are foundational pillars for a robust and favorable business environment. It’s essential to emphasize that the rule of law inherently entails the restriction of arbitrary exercise of power by subjecting it to well-defined and established laws.

In addition, AmCham also voices its concerns regarding the verbal attacks of the executive and legislative representatives on the judiciary branch and justice institutions, including the Constitutional Court and other courts. Such attacks further erode the confidence in the independence and integrity of Kosovo’s judicial system, which is essential for ensuring fair and transparent legal proceedings for businesses and investors.

The establishment of the private enforcement agent function, supported by USAID, has been instrumental in assisting Kosovo institutions to improve the enforcement of civil judgments, while dramatically reducing the backlog of enforcement cases in the Kosovo court system. This function not only enhances the efficiency of judicial processes but also contributes to fostering a more favorable environment for businesses and investors by ensuring timely and effective enforcement of legal decisions.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/nyNPS Hoxhaj hails decision for membership negotiations with Bosnia (media)

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Enver Hoxhaj, welcomed in a Facebook post the decision of the EU Council to start membership negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, saying that it is a very good news for that country, “but very bad news with Kosovo because in fact it shows that we are completely out of the enlargement process”.

“After the invitation and decision of the EU, Bosnia joins Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, in its new relation and another pace of membership in the EU, where even countries like Ukraine which is in war, and Georgia and Moldova, have received the candidate status, and Kosovo has not, by remaining behind, and very similar to Belorussia, isolated and even punished with sanctions, which is Kosovo’s biggest failure in foreign policy and in domestic reforms, which I could not have imagined even in my worst dreams,” Hoxhaj argues.

Serbian Language Media

Starovic: Kurti invents invasion to continue mistreatment of Serbs in Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Ministry of Defence State Secretary Nemanja Sarovic has said today that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is inventing invasion so that he can continue mistreatment and repression against Serbs in Kosovo, Tanjug news agency reports.

Reacting to the video Kurti published claiming that members of the Serbian Army special forces are allegedly seen on it, few meters away from the administrative line, Starovic said that it is about a regular patrol along the administrative line, in close cooperation with KFOR.

Starovic also said in a post on X social platform that Kurti one year and a half ago “in a military style carried out an occupation of the north, banned Serbs from voting in elections, imposed Albanian mayors in the Serbian towns, banned Serbian goods and since February banned Serbian currency, impoverishing and starving the most vulnerable members of the Serbian community”.

Ministry of Defence: Kurti’s allegations on movement of Serbian Army near administrative line continuation of disinformation campaign (Kosovo Online, Danas, media)

Chief of Kumanovo Military-Technical Agreement Implementation Commission, colonel Zoran Jovanovic reacting to allegations of Prime Minister Albin Kurti on movement of the Serbian Army near the administrative line, said it represents continuation of disinformation campaign against the Serbian Army and Serbia, Kosovo Online portal reported.

The Serbian Ministry of Defence in a post on X social platform said it is about members of the Serbian Army in the Ground Safety Zone carrying out regular talks to secure and control the administrative line and Ground Safety Zone, in line with Military-Technical and all other agreements.

Jovanovic also said that “spreading deceptions and disinformation, debunked many times up to now as the ordinary lies, are part of a wider campaign of Pristina authorities which aims at raising tensions, deceiving the public, creating unbearable conditions for the lives of Serbs in Kosovo and to avoid internationally accepted obligations”.

Pantic-Pilja: Bakoyannis recommended Kosovo's admission to the CoE (Kosovo Online, Blic)

The head of the permanent delegation of the Assembly of Serbia to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Biljana Pantic-Pilja, told Kosovo Online that the rapporteur for Kosovo admission to Council of Europe, Dora Bakoyannis, has recommended its admission to the organization, and her report will be voted on March 25 at extraordinary meeting of the Political Committee.

"She gave a recommendation, because according to them, they showed their desire for an agreement by registering the land of the Visoki Dečani monastery. So regardless of her position from two weeks ago where she decisively said that there were three conditions, now she said that is this still enough to pass that procedure, and for the rest, I'm paraphrasing now, 'if the so-called Kosovo is accepted, it should be in some post monitoring where they will monitor their further progress and whether they have fulfilled the other conditions'," Pantic-Pilja points out.

She states that the recommendation of Bakoyannis will be voted on March 25 at the Political Committee, at an extraordinary meeting called outside of all procedures "because they are in a hurry", and there will be seen what the mood of the others is. When Bakoyannis presents her opinion, it is voted on, and if voted for, then it goes to the plenum in April at PACE.

"Bakoyannis is skillfully getting out of it, by stating that it is a recommendation for the PACE, and the final word will be given by the Committee of Ministers in May at their meeting," Pantic-Pilja assesses.

Sentic: Serbian is one of the two equal official languages in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Serbian language is clearly defined as one of the two equal, official languages at all levels, and Cyrilic alphabet is an official alphabet of the Serbian language, Kosovo Deputy Ombudsperson Srdjan Sentic told Kosovo Online portal, commenting on the removal of the signboards in Cyrilic alphabet in the north.

In an interview with the portal, Sentic said changes affecting the language rights should be carefully considered, in full respect of legal provisions and cultural and identity aspects of the communities in Kosovo.

In relation to the removal of signboards in Cyrillic in northern Kosovo and installment of bilingual, with Albanian names first, followed by Serbian in Latin alphabet and whether Constitution has been violated in this regard, Setnic said the legal framework on language rights is defined by Constitution and articles 5 and 59, as well as Law on use of languages.

He said the law, apart from guaranteeing bilingualism, in detail also regulates official use of languages at all levels of authorities, harmonization with demographic structure and enables other languages to obtain the status of official, respective language in official use, in accordance with percentage of population at local level.

“(…) Serbian language is clearly defined as one of the two equal, official languages at all levels. Cyrilic is an official alphabet of the Serbian language. Therefore, I consider that arbitrary decisions to ignore those rules and regulations, without consultations with the Office of Language Commissioner, are ill and unproductive practice, which sends an inadequate message and does not respect relevant institutions dealing with language rights”, Sentic said.

He also said arbitrary change of alphabet and language policy, without previous consultations with relevant bodies such as Office of Language Commissioner, can be understood as violation of existing legal norms and disrespect of institutional procedures, but also as a potential violation of the rights and identity of the Serbian community in Kosovo.

KDI Director: Serbs have right to Cyrillic, populist behavior of authorities instead of promoting dialogue, cooperation and integration (KoSSev, media)

Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) Director Ismet Kryeziu said Serbs have the right to use Cyrilic alphabet, adding he believes that change and installment of signboards in the north of Kosovo are contrary to the Kosovo Constitution and democratic values Kosovo strives for, noting two reasons to support his claim, KoSSev portal reported.

The first is because Serbs “have the right to use their Cyrilic alphabet”, and the second one is he believes, “that in Serbian majority municipalities the order of languages should be as such – Serbian first, and then Albanian language. Contrary to what the government has decided”, Kryeziu wrote.

“This populist behavior of authorities, instead of encouraging dialogue, cooperation and integration, promotes dissatisfaction, conflict and division between the social groups”, he also said, adding it was all “completely unnecessary”.

Media Center Caglavica journalists received accreditation from Presidency, in Albanian language (medijacentar.info)

Journalists and cameramen of the Media Center Caglavica, after several attempts in the past year, managed to obtain journalistic accreditation for monitoring the work of Kosovo President, reported this media.

However, in the part of the accreditation reserved for the name of the media company, ‘Medija centar’ was written as ‘Qendra mediale’, instead in Serbian language, Albanian language was used, which was the first time so far.

Although the full name of the Caglavica Media Center is in the registration system in three languages - Serbian, Albanian and English, in previous years the name was always written only in the Serbian language on the journalist accreditations that the employees of the Media Center received from Kosovo Presidency.

Also, on the accreditations issued by the Government and the Assembly of Kosovo for years, the name ‘Medija Centar’ is written only in the Serbian language.

The media reported that the accreditations were issued to the employees of the Media Center today by the same official who yesterday did not allow journalists and cameramen of the Media Center Caglavica to follow the event in the Presidency of Kosovo, because they did not have accreditations.

"Unlike yesterday, today that gentleman was very kind. He gave us accreditations, but we did not pay attention to the fact that the name ‘Medija Centar’ is written in Albanian. We only noticed that when we left the presidency building," says Media Center journalist Sanja Djokic.

Dacic: Serbia-Russia intergovernmental committee to meet in autumn (Tanjug)

Outgoing Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Thursday evening that, under an agreement he had reached with Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, a Serbia-Russia intergovernmental committee on trade, economic and scientific and technical cooperation would meet in Moscow in the autumn, Tanjug news agency reported.

Dacic added that Reshetnikov, who co-chairs the committee, would visit Serbia in June for preparations for the session of the body - which has not met since 2021 - and to see what areas Serbia and Russia could work on to advance bilateral cooperation, in the energy and railway sectors in particular.

"That cooperation is very important for us to have energy security in terms of electricity, which means that we must already start discussions about a new natural gas arrangement as the present one expires at the end of 2025, and our industry depends on it", Dacic said after a meeting with Reshetnikov.

He also said Western demands that Serbia impose sanctions on Russia were cynical and ironic as countries that had imposed sanctions had higher trade volumes with Russia than Serbia, which has not introduced sanctions.

Pristina: Both Kurti and the opposition ready for early elections (RTS)

Radio Television of Serbia reported this morning Albin Kurti claimed that he and his movement "Self-Determination" were ready for early elections, and it was up to the opposition to declare itself. Kurti referred to the decision of the Pristina Constitutional Court that two-thirds of the votes of the deputies are required to dissolve the assembly. The presidents of the two largest opposition parties accepted Kurti's offer.

According to RTS, Kurti stated that his "Self-Determination" movement was ready for early elections, telling the Albanian opposition parties that he could help them if they wanted new elections, since they do not have enough votes to dissolve the current parliament.

In an interview with the public service in Albanian in Pristina, Kurti said that the opposition should make a statement regarding the new elections.

"They have to say, I can't go to the elections without the opposition. So, the verdict of the Constitutional Court from 2020 showed that two-thirds is needed to dissolve the assembly and there is no other option to go to the elections automatically," Kurti said.

"They can do it together with us, this is my offer. I say that we go to the elections when the opposition wants. We will help the opposition if it wants to go to the elections," Kurti pointed out and repeated that he was "always ready for elections".

The strongest opposition parties accept the offer

This was followed by the reactions of the two strongest opposition parties - the Democratic Party and the Democratic Alliance - whose presidents said they would accept the offer.

The president of the Democratic Party, Memli Krasniqi, called on Kurti to start the process of extraordinary elections from today, promising him that he would immediately have a representative from that party to dissolve the assembly.

And the president of the Democratic Alliance, Lumir Abdixhiku, expressed his readiness for new elections, calling on Kurti to offer his resignation.

"If he has surrendered, let him resign. He is asking for elections, to become a victim, to say: 'I have been overthrown,'" said the president of the DSK.

Before Kurti announced that he was ready for early elections, the deputy of his party, Armend Muja, told the media in Pristina that "Self-Determination" would win them with more than 51 percent of the votes.

Opinion

Timothy Less on burst of fire from Pristina: Mix of nervousness and excessive efforts (Blic)

Kurti's request that Britain increase its military presence indicates his nervousness; he thinks that Serbia is preparing to occupy the north of Kosovo by force at some point. This request comes in the context of a change in the external environment, in which politics is currently not in the hands of Kosovo. The government went too far with the ban on the use of the dinar in everyday transactions and is facing an international reaction that has encouraged Serbia and increased Kurti's sense of nervousness, although for domestic political reasons he cannot give up on the issue of the dinar, Blic daily was told by Timothy Less, a professor at the Center for in geopolitics at the University of Cambridge.

Timothy Less thus comments the demands of Kosovo PM Albin Kurti for Great Britain to send additional troops to Kosovo to, as he said, "prevent a war in the Western Balkans", wrote Blic.

- There is little chance that the UK will respond to Kurti's request. Britain's military is understaffed at a time when global tensions are rising, and troops may be needed elsewhere. Consequently, it cannot afford to send more troops to Kosovo, instead it has withdrawn the two hundred soldiers it deployed last fall - notes Less.

Attention diversion

Apart from nervousness and pressure because certain partners from the West have turned their backs on him, Srecko Djukic, a former diplomat, told Blic that he sees in Kurti's statements a diversion of attention from the obligations that Pristina needs to fulfill.

- Pristina is trying in every way to free itself from the obligation to form the CSM (ZSO), but it has been unable to do so for years. By all accounts, the greatest pressure is now on Pristina from all relevant factors to realize the years-old obligation of the Serbian self-government in Kosovo. It is clear to everyone that it has become the main obstacle for everything else that needs to be done in and around Kosovo - notes Djukic.

Kurti criticizes NATO?

Kurti also assessed that the current presence of NATO soldiers in Kosovo is "symbolic” because he claims that military bases in Serbia are positioned for attack.

- There is only a symbolic" presence of NATO in Kosovo and it would not be enough to prevent the invasion of Serbia - said Kurti for the British "Telegraph".

At the same time, Donika Gervalla, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, sent a message that the Association/ Community of Serbian Municipalities of 2013 and 2015 is "dead".

- No one is discussing the Association of 2013 and 2015 anymore. The new draft that we received in October last year considered many of our concerns. We have submitted our reservations in writing as part of a good faith process with our partners and expect our comments to be taken seriously. It always remains our responsibility who we trusted in this process - she said.

Statements for domestic use

All this is happening in the same week in which negotiations about the dinar began in Brussels, and Less says that Gervalla's statement is in line with the government's broader approach, which is a mixture of nervousness and excessive efforts.

- The USA, among others, insists that Kosovo establish an A/CSM, and Gervalla advocates a position that overestimates her negotiating position. Undoubtedly, like Mr. Kurti, she feels that she has to do it for domestic reasons, but the risk is that it distances Serbia from the negotiations - says Less.

Tatal: Super Election Year May Hold Key to Bosnia’s Fate (BIRN)

Opinion piece by Srecko Tatal, a journalist, editor and analyst who has been covering the Balkans since the 1990s.

On Thursday, Bosnia and Herzegovina received long-awaited good news, as EU leaders finally approved the opening of accession negotiations.

But Bosnia may already find itself in a new and dangerous crisis if the Office of the High Representative, OHR, imposes expected changes to the country’s election law.

Pressed by the US, the OHR was planning to impose this law by the end of the last year, but the president of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, RS, and leader of its ruling SNSD party,Milorad Dodik, warned that in that case RS would adopt its own election law.

The EU pressed the OHR to at least postpone this intervention until after March 21, to give Bosnia a chance to open negotiations with the EU.

According to legal and election experts, an RS election law would collide with state-level election legislation, which would delay or even block the holding of upcoming local or other future elections.

This may be what Dodik wants, since in that situation he would be able to organise separate local elections in October only for Republika Srpska.

Holding separate, illegal elections in only one part of the country would effectively mean a political, legal and administrative breakup of the country, which could then lead to new ethnic violence Read more at: https://shorturl.at/fqx67

International

Yugoslavia’s NATO Bombing Victims: Official Death Toll Unclear, 25 Years Later (BIRN)

Twenty-five years after the start of NATO’s air strikes on Yugoslavia, no exact casualty figures have ever been established and no official comprehensive list of all the civilian victims’ names exists – allowing the death toll to be manipulated by politicians.

On March 24 last year, in his speech at the main state event marking the Remembrance Day for the Victims of the NATO Bombing in 1999, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic declared that “[NATO] tore off parts of our territory [Kosovo], killed 79 children, 2,500 people, and not only civilians, but also soldiers and policemen”.

In previous years, Vucic has used similar but not always identical figures for the number of people killed during the Western military alliance’s 78-day campaign of air strikes against Yugoslavia, which was launched to compel Belgrade to end its violent repression of Kosovo Albanians and withdraw its military and police forces from Kosovo.

In his 2021 speech, Vucic spoke of “2,500 civilians killed, but also soldiers and policemen”; in 2019, he also talked about “the death of 2,500 civilians”. But in 2017, he said that “we lost more than 2,000 civilian lives and almost 1,000 soldiers and policemen during three months of bombing and killing”.

Every year on March 24, the anniversary of the start of the NATO bombing, both officials and media cite casualty figures ranging from 1,200 to 2,500 people, without specifying whether they were civilians or members of the armed forces.

At the Serbian national commemorative event in 2021, it was stated during an audiovisual presentation that “around 4,000 civilians” died during the NATO air campaign.

The vagueness about the exact number of casualties highlights the fact that the death toll remains an estimate, leaving it subject to manipulation by political leaders for propaganda purposes. No definitive casualty figures have ever been established, and the victims have never been comprehensively listed by name.

Figures cited by the Yugoslav authorities back in 2000 were much lower than those claimed by Vucic – hundreds of deaths rather than thousands.

Professor Susan Breau, Interim Director Research Students at Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in Britain, argued that lack of precise information about the casualty figures or the exaggeration of the death toll “fuels conflict, it fuels resentment”.

“What it does is it doesn’t allow reconciliation, it doesn’t allow for transitional justice,” Breau told BIRN.

Humanitarian/Development

CHC in Gracanica responded positively to request that women in labor be accompanied during childbirth (Radio KIM, KoSSev)

The Move-Change Movement announced that Clinical Hospital Center (CHC) from Pristina, based in Gracanica, responded positively to their request that mothers in labor at this health facility be given the right to be accompanied in the delivery room during childbirth, Radio KIM reported.

The request was submitted to the CHC together with a petition signed by 190,000 citizens on International Women's Day on March 8, by an activist for women's rights from Gracanica, Milica Stojanovic Kostic.

"We inform you that we fully support the position of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia to enable the presence and accompaniment of women in labor during childbirth in maternity hospitals in the territory of the Republic of Serbia which have conditions and capacities. In accordance with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia, in the coming period, within the maternity ward of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, our institution will strive to provide spatial capacities and conditions for enabling the presence of an escort for women in labor who wish to do so during childbirth", reads the response of the Clinical Hospital Center in Gracanica.