UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, April 15, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti expects Kosovo to join Council of Europe in May (Gazeta Express)
Knaus: Important week in Strasbourg for Kosovo at Council of Europe (media)
Participants from 40 countries to attend Women, Peace, and Security Forum (Kallxo)
Osmani: Traces of sexual violence of Serbian criminals weigh on lives of citizens (Koha)
Kurti meets Oliphant, discuss strengthening Kosovo-Canada relations (media)
Reactions to murder of 21-year-old woman in Ferizaj on Friday (media)
Albanian American Civic League reacts to Vucic’s statement (media)
Osmani condemns attack on Israel, “peace efforts must prevail” (media)
Kurti condemns Iran attack on Israel, “world needs to prioritize ending hostilities” (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Petkovic: Beatings, arrests of Serbs obvious values which Kosovo recommends for the CoE (Kosovo Online, Tanjug, X)
Vucic: All violators of Serbia's constitutional order will be prosecuted, arrested and tried (Kosovo Online)
Kurti: "20,000 victims of sexual violence - part of the Serbian genocide"; Petkovic: Stop lying, the number 20 times smaller (KoSSev)
Ethnic Serb, wounded during a 2021 special police action, arrested at Brnjak; Office for KiM: Sofronijevic’s arrest instigated by the US and the EU (KoSSev)
SL: The arrest of Sofronijevic continues the terror against the Serbian people (Kosovo Online)
The “Cuska” case verdicts to be announced at the end of the month (KoSSev)
Spain against Kosovo's accession to the Council of Europe (Kosovo Online, Blic, Tanjug)
Dacic with Szijjártó: Hungary will vote against Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe

Albanian Language Media

Kurti expects Kosovo to join Council of Europe in May (Gazeta Express)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in his address at the General Council of the Vetevendosje Movement talked among other issues about Kosovo’s membership at the Council of Europe and recalled the “inevitable” decision on March 13 to register the lands of the Decani Monastery. “The process of Kosovo’s membership at the Council of Europe was blocked by relevant members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, because Kosovo was faced with three conditions that had to be met before the process could advance further. As a result of the intensive lobbying of our institutions, for which I thank in particular the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we managed from the three conditions to secure the advancement of the process of membership with one condition: to enforce the decision of the Constitutional Court about the issue of the Decani Monastery,” he said. “Although it was an unfair and strange decision by the Constitutional Court, the agreement was reached between the political rapporteurs and the three biggest political groups at the Parliamentary Assembly. This was a condition without compromise and irreversible.”

Kurti said he expects the CoE Parliamentary Assembly to adopt the recommendation of the rapporteur for Kosovo’s membership. “The final battle in the process will be around mid-May, when the ministerial meeting of the Council of Europe is held, and it should invite Kosovo to become the 47th member of the biggest and oldest organization in our continent,” he said.

Knaus: Important week in Strasbourg for Kosovo at Council of Europe (media)

Gerald Knaus, head of the European Stability Initiative (ESI), said in a post on X on Sunday that the coming week in Strasbourg is important “where the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will vote on Kosovo joining it”. Knaus also said that “there is reason to be optimistic that the last European democracy not yet in the Council of Europe will join it soon. In the interest of human rights of all.”

Participants from over 40 countries to attend Women, Peace, and Security Forum (Kallxo)

With the initiative of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, the second edition of the Women, Peace, and Security Forum will be held in Pristina on April 14-17. The second edition, which is scheduled to start on Monday, will host representatives from over 40 world countries with over 1,000 participants, to discuss and cooperate on the areas of security and peace. Osmani told a press conference on Sunday that the central topic of the second edition will be sexual violence during conflict.

Osmani: Traces of sexual violence of Serbian criminals weigh on lives of citizens (Koha)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on Sunday that April 14 unites everyone to mark the Day of the Survivors of Sexual Violence during the war in Kosovo. “Marking April 14 is more than a call for justice. It is a strong declaration of human solidarity with the survivors. On this day we raise our voices for all victims of sexual violence. Justice will not be full until criminals are held accountable for their actions,” she said.

Osmani said that it needs to be ensured that the history of the survivors of sexual violence in conflict is not forgotten and that it never happens again. She said that the courage and strength of survivors of sexual violence is a source of inspiration for all. “The traces of crimes of sexual violence committed by the Serbian army still weight on the lives of the people of Kosovo. During the war, over 20,000 women were raped by the Serbian army and police. They are our heroines,” she said.

Kurti meets Oliphant, discuss strengthening Kosovo-Canada relations (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met in Pristina on Sunday with the member of the Canadian Parliament, Rob Oliphant. Kurti said after the meeting that they discussed strengthening Kosovo-Canada relations, and that Kosovo is grateful for Canada’s ongoing support since 1999. “Kosovo leads the WB6 in democracy, rule of law, & economic growth, and we look forward to our cooperation in clean energy, natural resources, & IT,” Kurti wrote in a post on X.

Reactions to murder of 21-year-old woman in Ferizaj on Friday (media)

Kosovo’s institutional leaders, heads of political parties, and international missions, reacted to the murder of a 21-year-old woman in Ferizaj on Friday. President Vjosa Osmani said in her reaction that there should be a maximal punishment for the perpetrator, and Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that “justice needs to be served without delay”. UNMIK chief and SRSG, Caroline Ziadeh, said that “this death is an irrevocable loss for the woman’s family, but is also a wound for all of society”. Ziadeh also urged the authorities to ensure swift recourse to justice. The OSCE Mission in Kosovo said in a statement: “horrified and saddened by the murder of a 21-yr woman and injury of a 15-yr boy today in Ferizaj/Uroševac. We commend Kosovo Police for swiftly arresting a suspect in what appears to be a femicide. The Mission will continue working relentlessly with our partners to fight gender-based violence and domestic violence.”

Albanian American Civic League reacts to Vucic’s statement (media)

The Albanian American Civic League (AACL) said in a statement on Sunday that “during a visit with the Special Police Unit “Kobra,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic issued a public threat against ethnic Albanians in the Presheva Valley, declaring that, ‘Anyone who works against the Constitution of Serbia will be immediately charged and arrested’. Vucic made this statement, while also declaring that he will meet tomorrow with President Milorad Dodik of Republika Srpska. Dodik is black-listed by the United States and is considered a major threat to peace and stability in the Balkans. The Albanian American Civic League (AACL) is very concerned about Vucic’s threat and its potential effects on ethnic Albanians in the Presheva Valley. The Civic League has been working with leaders of ethnic Albanians in the Presheva Valley for more than two decades to bring their lack of human rights to the attention of foreign policy leaders in the U.S. Congress. Vucic’s public threat comes one day after a delegation from the Presheva Valley—including Shaip Kamberi, Nagip Arifi, Ardita Sinani, and Ragmi Mustafi—held an important meeting in New York with members of the AACL Board of Directors.”

Serbian Language Media

Petkovic: Beatings, arrests of Serbs obvious values which Kosovo recommends for the CoE (Kosovo Online, Tanjug, X)

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, reacted to the news on the beating of Vladan Stevanovic, allegedly done by Kosovo special forces in the village of Bube near Zubin Potok, stating on X that the beatings and arrests of Serbs "are obviously values that the so-called Kosovo 'recommends' to the Council of Europe", reported Kosovo Online.

"After they arrested Srecko Sofronijevic, presumably to punish him because he did not succumb to his wounds when he was shot, Kurti's phalangists brutally beat Vladan Stevanovic for no reason. Beatings and arrests of Serbs are obviously the values that the so-called Kosovo 'recommends' for the Council of Europe!", Petkovic wrote on the X social network.

Previously, Stevanovic told Kosovo Online that members of the Kosovo special unit beat him on Saturday, inflicting injuries on his head and body, as a result of which he has 15 stitches. According to his statement, everything happened while he was going to his friend.

Vucic: All violators of Serbia's constitutional order will be prosecuted, arrested and tried (Kosovo Online)

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated yesterday that “Srecko Sofronijevic, hailed as a Serbian hero, was arrested by bandits from Pristina” supported by the EU and the US, whose representatives in Kosovo, he claims, serve only to cover up every criminal decision made by Albin Kurti. Vucic announced that soon, all those who violate the constitutional order of Serbia and are located where Serbia has effective control will be prosecuted, arrested, and tried by Serbian authorities, reported portal Kosovo Online in English.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2t38m86b

Kurti: "20,000 victims of sexual violence - part of the Serbian genocide"; Petkovic: Stop lying, the number 20 times smaller (KoSSev)

"There are over 20,000 women and girls, men and boys, who were raped during the war, and this is part of the genocide that we experienced from Serbia," Kosovo PM Albin Kurti said, among other things, yesterday during the marking of the "Day of Remembrance of Victims of Sexual Violence". Kurti said that the victims and those who survived these crimes - women and girls, but also boys and men, "paid a high physical, psychological and emotional price for the state and our freedom". In the end, he presented the information that all Pristina officials mostly point out - that there were allegedly more than 20,000 rape victims during the war in 1999, concluding that ''it is part of the genocide we experienced from Serbia". The President of Kosovo asked for justice for all victims of sexual violence during the war.

"Enough with lies from Pristina," the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Office, Petar Petkovic said, stating that "Kurti is actually carrying out genocide, terrorism and separatism against the Serbs in Kosovo!" He thus said that the number of victims of sexual violence was much smaller and that it was "manipulation of a little tyrant!"

"And speaking of the truth, the UN report of October 1, 2020 clearly shows that the number of victims of sexual violence in Kosovo is twenty times lower than Kurti claims.''

At the same time, Petkovic published a photo, i.e. a graphic, on which, in addition to the statement that "20,000 women of this country were raped", it says "incorrect" (Fake).

In the second part of the photograph, there is a sign that these are the correct claims from the alleged report, which reads:

"During the reporting period, the commission of the Government of Kosovo responsible for the verification and recognition of the status of survivors of sexual violence in the conflict received 63 applications, which brought the total number of applications received since its establishment in February 2018 to 1,303. To date, 846 applicants (819 women and 27 men) have been granted survivor status, while 262 (224) women and 38 men have been rejected." The UN report that Petkovic refers to actually conveys the data of the GoK's commission for verification and recognition of the status of survivors of sexual violence. Since its creation in 2018, this committee has repeatedly extended the deadline for submitting applications, and the last time at the beginning of this year - until May 15, 2025.

Pristina's top officials often invite victims of sexual violence to register in order to receive victim status. And the head of this Commission, Leonora Selimi, said in July 2022 that this status had been recognized for 1,217 women and 57 men, and that a total of 1,736 people had applied. In December, last year, Duda Balje, member of the Kosovo Assembly and president of the Commission for Human Rights, Gender Equality, Missing Persons, and Victims of Sexual Violence, presented new information - that by then, around 1,700 women had received victim status.

Ethnic Serb, wounded during a 2021 special police action, arrested at Brnjak; Office for KiM: Sofronijevic’s arrest instigated by the US and the EU (KoSSev)

Ethnic Serb Srećko Sofronijević, who was wounded during a special police action in Zvečan in October of 2021, was arrested on Saturday at the Brnjak border crossing and remanded for 48-hour custody. As the Kosovo Police confirmed, he is charged with several criminal offenses. The Kosovo Office reacted, accusing the US and the EU of being behind the arrest, and warning of Pristina’s “brutal persecution”.

The KP confirmed late last night that Sofronijević is suspected of several criminal offenses: “aggravated attempted murder“, “assault on an official”, “possession, control or unauthorized possession of weapons”, “incitement to resistance, participation in riots and hooliganism”, “destruction or damage to property, etc.”, offenses which were, as it is alleged, committed during 2021.

“These criminal acts for which he is suspected are not peaceful protests as allegedly and erroneously reported,” the police said, denying allegations from the Serbian side that the Zvečan local’s arrest is linked to the 2021 protests.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/29affmy4

SL: The arrest of Sofronijevic continues the terror against the Serbian people (Kosovo Online)

The Serbian List has stated that the arrest of Srecko Sofronijevic by Kurti's police is a continuation of the terror against the Serbian people, the arrested individual, and his family. They called on international representatives to react and prevent the oppression of Serbian citizens. According to their statement, Sofronijevic was arrested at the Brnjak administrative crossing while traveling to central Serbia with his wife.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yt9tevuf

The “Cuska” case verdicts to be announced at the end of the month (KoSSev)

The closing arguments in the Ćuška case, as per which several individuals are charged with the murder of over 100 civilians of Albanian ethnicity, wounding, theft, and expulsion of the civilian population to Albania in 1999, were presented on Friday in the War Crimes Department of the Higher Court in Belgrade. Out of a total of 18 defendants, verdicts will be pronounced for nine of them.

The case actually encompasses the once separate proceedings led against Toplica Miladinović and eight other members of the paramilitary formation „Jackals“, which were then merged into one case.

“Due to the merger of the proceedings, the closing arguments presented on April 3 and April 5, during which the accused Miladinović was not present, were repeated, whereby the public prosecutor for war crimes, the injured party’s attorney and the defense attorneys of the accused abided by the previously presented closing arguments,” stated the Humanitarian Law Center.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/nhkb2w79

Spain against Kosovo's accession to the Council of Europe (Kosovo Online, Blic, Tanjug)

Representatives of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and representatives of the People's Party (PP) will vote against Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe, confirmed sources from these parties, reported Kosovo Online, citing Blic.

"We will vote against because we still have the same criteria regarding this," said sources from PSOE, who believe that now is not the time for Kosovo to join the Council of Europe, as it could create room for confrontation, given that among the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, there are those that do not recognize Kosovo's independence, including Spain.

Members of the People's Party also told the Spanish agency "Europa Press" that there is no change in their stance regarding the non-recognition of Kosovo's independence since the time of the government of Mariano Rajoy, former leader of the party.

Sources from the People's Party confirm that they will vote against, stating that "it is not a good precedent" for this territory to become a member of the Council of Europe.

Dacic with Szijjártó: Hungary will vote against Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe (Kosovo Online)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic stated, after a telephone conversation with his Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjártó, that Hungary will vote against Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe, reported Kosovo Online.