UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, November 26, 2024

Albanian Language Media

Osmani: Until every woman is free from violence, none of us are truly free (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on Monday that on this International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we are reminded that the fight isn’t just for women—it’s for families, thriving societies, and the future of justice itself. “Until every woman is free from violence, none of us are truly free,” she wrote in a post on X.

Kurti: Every woman and girl deserve freedom and equality (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti at the start of the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” campaign highlighted the importance of awareness and commitment to protecting human dignity and gender equality. He called for a society where every woman and girl has the right to live freely, without fear, and to dream of a better future.

Kurti said that the Kosovo government is taking concrete steps to combat gender-based violence and empower women, adding that laws are being strengthened, support for shelters is increasing, and work is being done to empower women economically. Victims of violence are also being supported with legal assistance and protection. He concluded his speech by emphasizing that the fight against violence is a common battle for everyone, and that a society free from violence is a stronger and a more just society.

OSCE: We join global efforts to eliminate violence against women, girls (media)

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo said in a post on X on Monday that they join global efforts at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls. “The OSCE Mission in Kosovo has been supporting institutions and civil society in Kosovo to uproot gender-based violence. The work continues!” the post notes.

“Every 11 minutes a woman or girl is killed by someone they know. Here in Kosovo, thousands of cases of domestic violence against women and girls are reported each year. This year alone, three women were tragically killed by their partners. This is unacceptable”.

See more at: https://t.ly/IJ_9-

Osmani: Kosovo one of the greatest successes in history (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on Monday that at the Halifax International Security Forum, she attended the closing panel on the topic “The Era of Optimism: Now It's Up to Us”. “At the Halifax forum closing plenary on “The Era of Optimism: Now It’s Up to Us,” I shared the story of Kosovo - an inspiring example of the resilience of Kosovo people, combined with the strength of values-based alliances and democracies united in defending peace and security,” Osmani said in a post on social media.

Kosovo security, topic at Rutte-Erdogan meeting (Reporteri)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met on Monday with the President of Turkyie, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Among other things, security in Kosovo was discussed. The announcement issued by NATO states that Rutte congratulated Turkey on the successful completion of the KFOR Command, adding that Turkey's continued contribution with troops is crucial for maintaining a peaceful and secure environment throughout Kosovo.

Kurti and Konjufca meet Gashi, discuss increase of cooperation (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, received the Speaker of the Parliament of North Macedonia, Afrim Gashi. “During the bilateral meeting of the delegations, the necessity of cooperation and interaction between the two respective assemblies was discussed, and the possibility of support from the Parliament of North Macedonia towards Kosovo in forums and meetings where Kosovo is not present or represented,” the announcement of the Prime Minister’s Office says.

Kurti highlighted the need for ratification in the optimal timeframe of all agreements arising from bilateral cooperation, including those of the Berlin Process.

Earlier on Monday, Kosovo Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca also hosted a meeting with Gashi. “Speaker Konjufca and Speaker Gashi discussed various aspects of parliamentarism and spoke about the possibilities of increasing cooperation between our legislative institutions. They also talked about other issues of common interest, including the path of European integration, economic and trade development and the stability of our region," reads the statement of Kosovo Assembly.

KFOR, EULEX and Kosovo Police conclude Golden Sabre 2024 exercise (RTK)

KFOR, EULEX and Kosovo Police forces conducted on Monday the joint exercise “Golden Sabre 2024”. They tested their procedures for crowd control and crisis management. The KFOR announcement states that the Commander, Major General Enrico Barduani, stressed that this activity reflected the commitment to cooperation for the benefit of residents.

“This exercise demonstrated our readiness to address any security challenge together and reflected our commitment to continued cooperation, for the benefit of all communities living in Kosovo and in support of regional stability,” said Barduani, expressing further appreciation to the local communities for their understanding and support on the eve and during the exercise.

Serbian Language Media

NSI condemned the detention of their director: In the prevailing atmosphere, she protected her personal safety by filming (KoSSev, Kosovo online)

The New Social Initiative strongly condemned the detention of the NGO director, Jovana Radosavljevic at Bistrica bridge, reported KoSSev.

Radosavljevic was taken into custody at this checkpoint on Sunday, for alleged unauthorized filming.

She herself admitted that she did film from the car, but not the checkpoint itself, where it was marked that filming was prohibited.

She said in a statement to the media that her camera was turned on for personal safety and, as she said, because of earlier inconveniences when stopping at the exact same place.

See the New Social Initiative post on X related to Radosavljevic’s detention at: https://tinyurl.com/4yf26vzs

Andric Rakic: Only one percent of Serbs from North Mitrovica support increased presence of Kosovo Police (Kosovo Online)

Milica Andric Rakic, Program Manager of the NGO New Social Initiative, highlighted that, according to a study by UBO Consulting, only one percent of Kosovo Serbs from North Mitrovica support the increased presence of Kosovo Police in police bases in the north, emphasizing that their presence serves as an instrument of ethnic control.

“According to our research conducted by UBO Consulting, one percent of Kosovo Serbs from North Mitrovica support the increased presence of Kosovo Police in police bases in the north, with Bistrica being the most prominent. In contrast, 93 percent of Albanians support this,” Andric Rakic stated in a post on X.

She added that this is a clear indicator that policies regulating police presence in Serb-majority areas are solely an ethnic instrument of control rather than a “legitimate state instrument of influence.”

“These policies began in October 2021 when a coalition of NGOs promptly raised a red flag, stating: ‘The group of NGOs and media within the OPEN Initiative strongly condemns the use of excessive force by special police units in Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo and their involvement in tasks under the jurisdiction of local police forces,’” the activist wrote.

She stressed that such actions do not contribute to normalization and reconciliation but rather foster confrontation and further ethnic polarization.

“Such actions can easily lead to open conflict of unimaginable proportions in an unstable security environment. The warning went unheeded, resulting in three years wasted on continuous crisis management instead of dialogue, at a devastating cost to interethnic relations. The expulsion of the Kosovo Police Regional Command since 2021 was also one of the triggers for mass resignations of Kosovo Serbs from the police in November 2022,” Andric Rakic emphasized.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4nrjsr3h

InTER: The international community should pay attention and prevent police repression in the north of Kosovo (Radio Mitrovica sever, KoSSev, Kontakt Plus radio)

The Institute for Territorial Development (InTER) announced that it strongly condemns the detention of the director of the New Social Initiative, Jovana Radosavljevic, at the police station on Bistrica bridge, reported Most.

The institute assesses that this case contributes to the growth of distrust of the Serbian community in the security structures and reminds of recent incidents concerning the Kosovo Police.

Reda the InTER full statement at:https://tinyurl.com/bdf4mwc7

Lawyer Filipovic: Young men arrested near Visoki Decani did not incite hatred, detention decision today (Kosovo Online, KiM radio, Kontakt Plus radio)

The three young men who were arrested near the Visoki Decani monastery on Sunday for the inscription "Kosovo is Serbia" on their license plates did not incite hatred and intolerance, which is what the prosecution is charging them with, said their lawyer Jovana Filipovic, adding that a detention decision is expected today.

The three young men, Rajko Krivokapic (34), Marinko Jovanovic (24) and Dragutin Lalatovic (24), who were arrested on Sunday after the celebration of the monastery's saint day (slava) in Visoki Decani, have Montenegrin citizenship and are all originally from Niksic.

"Initially, they were ordered to be detained by the police. They are currently in the police station in Pec, we visited them today. After that, we spoke with the acting prosecutor of the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Pec. A request for detention was submitted to the Basic Court in Pec, branch in Decani. According to the information we received today from the acting prosecutor, the detention hearing will be held today, at 10 a.m., at the Decani branch of the court,” Filipovic told Kosovo Online.

“What is really worrying is that it seems that this offense is exclusively intended for members of the Serbian nationality, that is, for non-Albanians, because the only cases we have had the opportunity to see so far, and there have been dozens of them, were cases against members of the Serbian community, who allegedly commit this offense against members of the Albanian population,” Filipovic pointed out.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/2s3av32a

Think globally, act locally: Tribune of the Union of Women of the Serbian List in Gracanica (Kossev, Kosovo Online, KiM radio)

On the International Day Against Violence Against Women, a forum of the Union of Women of the Serbian List was held in the Gracanica Cultural Center yesterday. Previously, the members of this political party held a meeting in their premises in Gracanica where the Union of Women was formed, reported KoSSev. In the displayed statistics on ethnically motivated violence against Serbs in Kosovo, it is stated that during the four years of Albin Kurti's government, 558 unsolved attacks on Serbs were recorded, while in the previous eight years (2013-2021), a total of 669 attacks were recorded.

Law Faculty student Ana Kostic is one of the victims of verbal violence in North Mitrovica, sharing her own experience while saying among other things that her ''upbringing does not allow me to repeat the words addressed to us, my honor does not allow me to remain silent, and my cheek does not allow me to bow my head".

The Gracanica mayor Ljiljana Subaric spoke at the forum of the Union of Women of the Serbian List, emphasizing that verbal violence has the same effect on victims as its other forms.

"It should be said that verbal and psychological violence against women is a consequence of incendiary rhetoric coming from Pristina. Even when we are not directly victims of violence, our women feel the consequences of the violence suffered by their brothers, comrades, husbands, fathers," she said.

Sladjana Rasic from Gracanica was elected president of the Union of Women of the Serbian List, which stated that women can unite and reconcile, "even what seems incompatible".

Elek: We cannot trust the authorities in Pristina (Kosovo Online, KiM radio)

The President of the Serbian List, Zlatan Elek, speaking about previous raids on the North Mitrovica Clinical Hospital Center, stated that the authorities in Pristina cannot be trusted and that he does not know whether such raids will happen again, emphasizing that no one has been punished for the previous incidents, reported Kosovo Online. He highlighted that there have been two raids on the CHC North Mitrovica so far, one last year and one this year.

“We cannot trust the authorities in Pristina, and whether there will be more raids on the CHC or not, there is fear in any case because no one has been punished for those raids so far, and we have not received an explanation as to why they occurred. For any normal person, this creates fear,” Elek said.

Speaking about the newly formed Union of Women of the Serbian List in Gracanica, Elek stressed that it was not an election campaign but rather a message that women should have a greater influence in politics.

KiM radio reported that Elek did not want to confirm to journalists in Gracanica whether the SL will participate in the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 9 next year, although a few days ago he said in a statement to RTS that this party was ready to participate. After being reminded by the journalist what he told RTS, Elek responded: "We have done all the actions that are required of us, as far as the CEC is concerned". However, he said that the decision on this has not yet been officially made, explaining that the decision of the bodies of the SL, that is, the presidency of the Serbian List Assembly should be awaited.

Stojanovic Kostic: The Serbian List uses women for political purposes (KiM radio, KoSSev)

Journalist and director of the NGO "Pravo na pravo" from Gracanica, Milica Stojanovic Kostic, criticized Serbian List for the forum organized on the International Day Against Violence Against Women. She interpreted the tribune of this political party as an event aimed at political promotion and not, as he said, at solving the essential problems that women have.

"On this day, a political party in Kosovo uses women for political purposes, without condemning the public murder of a woman in Gracanica and forms some kind of Union of Women?!?? I'm still trying to digest the amount of, to say the least, disgusting speeches at that gathering in Gracanica. A woman in Gusterica was killed by her husband, a Serb! Sexual harassment in Gracanica has been going on for years! You didn't even mention the terror that is perpetrated on women in their homes! You are spinning for the sake of the campaign!" said Milica Stojanovic Kostic.

She believes that the SL should be ashamed of such a gathering and that the "empty slogans" they uttered "have no connection with the reality in which women live". She pointed out that while they "advocate for women's rights", at the same time they tolerate or justify certain attacks.

Arsenijevic on the meeting of the Serbian List: Isn't that violence against women? (KiM radio)

Aleksandar Arsenijevic from Serbian Democracy criticized the Serbian List’s gathering in Gracanica on the International Day Against Violence Against Women, reported KiM radio.

"Today is the International Day against Violence against Women, and the Serbian List "marked" it with violence against women," said Arsenijevic in a FB post, reported KiM radio.

The meeting was attended by women working in institutions in Gracanica, other places in central Kosovo, as well as in the north, from Strpce, and Dragica Gasic from Djakovica.

"Under pressure and blackmail for jobs, women were taken up to 80 kilometers today in order for the Serbian List to organize its campaign in Gracanica. Isn't that violence against women, gentlemen?", asked Arsenijevic. According to Arsenijevic, the gathering was held by "the same Serbian List, whose prominent members have been blackmailing women for sexual services for more than a decade in order to get a job or an apartment."

At the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, an exhibition on Serbian medieval monasteries on the World Heritage List (Beta, NMagazin, KoSSev)

The exhibition on Serbian medieval monasteries on the List of World Heritage in Danger - Decani, Gracanica, Pec Patriarchate and the Church of Our Lady of Ljeviska, was opened at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Ministry of Culture announced yesterday, reported NMagazin.

The exhibition was opened by the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Porfirije, who, as stated in the announcement, said that "by placing Serbian holy places under its protection, UNESCO has shown their universal importance for the entire civilized world, while at the same time preserving them for future generations". Minister Nikola Selakovic pointed out in Paris that "Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija is still, in the 21st century, one of the most endangered cultural assets in Europe". He said that since 2006, four cultural assets, which are part of UNESCO's world heritage and have recognized exceptional universal value, have been on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

"Despite this, continuous attacks on Serbian heritage, attempts to rename and falsify history have become almost daily. In the period 2023-2024 alone, 31 attacks took place, most of which were aimed at the destruction and desecration of cultural property," said the minister. He reminded that "there was a particularly dramatic period after the end of the war in Kosovo and Metohija in June 1999, when, in organized attacks, a large number of Serbian churches and monasteries were desecrated, damaged or completely destroyed."

The exhibition on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the entry of the Decani Monastery into the World Heritage List was organized by the Serbian Ministry of Culture.

International Media

“Today and Every Other Day”: Kosovo Launches 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (PI)

Kosovo launched the global campaign "16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence," with a series of activities focused on raising awareness, supporting survivors, and strengthening measures against domestic violence.

The campaign against gender-based violence in Kosovo started on Monday with a message from the Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu.

In her speech, Minister Haxhiu outlined the steps taken to facilitate access and safety for victims of domestic violence. Haxhiu underscored the importance of supporting women “today and every other day,” which quickly became a slogan for the campaign.

“We provided free legal aid for survivors and opened six new mobile offices to ensure legal assistance is as close as possible to girls and women. To economically empower the victims, we enabled employment measures for victims of domestic violence. We have compensated victims of crime. 1.5 million euros were allocated to organisations dealing with social and family issues, and next year this budget will increase to 2.5 million euros,” Haxhiu said through a video message.

“We amended the penal code and introduced additional sentences for those found guilty of domestic violence and sexual violence, as well as programs for the rehabilitation of offenders. During these days, we will launch a system to monitor offenders through electronic devices,” Haxhiu further emphasised.