Albanian Language Media:

• Police arrest main suspect for murder of 18 year old girl in Ferizaj (media)
• Kurti: The murderer will get the merited punishment (Koha)
• COVID-19: 1,927 new cases, 14 deaths (media)
• 797 patients on oxygen therapy, 37 of them in serious condition (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 26 new cases of Covid-19, one death registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (KoSSev)
• Elek: Mitrovica North Hospital Center under Covid system again (KoSSev)
• 11-year-old Serb boy injured in Kamenica (KoSSev, Puls)
• Vucic: I didn’t get invitation for Brussels (Radio KIM)
• Petkovic: Kosovo Security Forces want to intimidate Serbian population (Radio kontakt plus)
• Rakic and Federici spoke about security, frequent attacks against Serbs (Kosovo-online)

International:

• Serbian arms used in Africa’s Sahel conflict: Amnesty International (BIRN)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  Police arrest main suspect for murder of 18 year old girl in Ferizaj (media)

All media outlets report that Kosovo Police have arrested Dardan Krivaqa, the main suspect for the murder of an 18 year old girl in Ferizaj. Krivaqa, who was in a relationship with the victim, was arrested in a village near Ferizaj. “I just got the confirmation that five minutes ago Dardan Krivaqa, the suspect for the murder, was arrested near Ferizaj. Police units are bringing the suspect to the police station,” a police major told protesters in front of the police station.

The chief prosecutor in Ferizaj told Kallxo news website that Krivaqa was arrested in the village of Sojeve at 12:05 hours.

Kurti: The murderer will get the merited punishment (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said at the funeral of the 18 year old girl, who was killed by her partner, that the murderer has been arrested and that he should get the merited punishment. “He is a suspect with a criminal record for other cases too. This shows how much work is needed to bring order to the justice system. Our government has undertaken the initiative for a legal infrastructure which will make sure that cases like this one don’t ever happen again,” Kurti said. He also said that there is an increasing number of women and girls who are reporting cases of domestic violence.

COVID-19: 1,927 new cases, 14 deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded 1,927 new cases with COVID-19 and 14 deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours. 433 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 22,038 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

797 patients on oxygen therapy, 37 of them in serious condition (media)

The Kosovo Hospital and Clinical Service said in a statement today that 902 patients with COVID-19 are being treated at Prishtina Hospital and other hospitals. 37 patients with the virus are in serious condition. 797 patients are on oxygen therapy.

   

Serbian Language Media

  26 new cases of Covid-19, one death registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (KoSSev)

Out of 67 tested samples in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, 26 were positive for Covid-19, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced, KoSSev portal reports.

The new cases were registered as follows: 11 in Mitrovica North, one in Zvecan and three each in Leposavic and Zubin Potok. Eight cases were registered in central Kosovo, three each in Gracanica and Gnjilane and two in Pec.

Currently there are 116 active cases of Covid-19 in the Serbian areas in Kosovo.

Deceased person was from Mitrovica North. A total of 150 persons have died since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Elek: Mitrovica North Hospital Center under Covid system again (KoSSev)

“We appeal to all our citizens to use opportunities afforded by the well-organized vaccination system as soon as possible and get vaccinated. Those who have been revaccinated – should now receive a third dose, and those who have not should get vaccinated as soon as possible so that we can reach collective immunity, which is our only way to rescue ourselves out of the new situation”, Mitrovica North Hospital Center Director Zlatan Elek told KoSSev portal.

Currently, there are 26 Covid-19-positive patients in the wards of Mitrovica North hospital, which is a significantly higher number compared to earlier this summer when there were no more than three infectious cases.

The situation has been deteriorating for the past ten days, and the Hospital Center is returning to operating under the previous COVID system. This means that part of the hospital capacities have already been turned into a COVID hospital with about 180 beds – as was the case during the previous four waves of COVID-19 infections.

„We are fully prepared to meet this fifth wave, in terms of medicines, protective equipment, staff, accommodation, so there is no fear on that issue“, Elek added.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3ye0F4Q 11-year-old Serb boy injured in Kamenica (KoSSev, RTV Puls)

Eleven-year-old Serb boy M.S. was injured in an altercation in Kamenica yesterday. The boy received medical assistance at the Health Center in Kamenica. The news was also confirmed by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic and Kosovo police spokesperson Ismet Hashani. They, however, presented differing claims about the background and qualification of the altercation, KoSSev portal reports.

Petkovic said that “the boy was attacked by a group of unprovoked Albanians, who inflicted injuries to his face“. The boy, a fifth-grade student at the “Desanka Maksimovic“ Elementary School, was hospitalized in the hospital in the town. In addition to sustaining injuries, he experienced severe stress, Petkovic added.

“According to his father, with whom I spoke, the boy went to the store, which he does every day, and while he was returning, he was attacked by a group of hooligans, who also insulted him in Albanian“, Petkovic said. He also said the Office will help the family of the injured boy in any way they can, as well as that they will ensure he receives the best possible care.

As KoSSev portal further reported Kosovo police confirmed the incident took place and the police spokesperson for Vitina region, Ismet Hashani, said it was a “quarrel among children“.

“According to police information, the child was playing in the park in front of his apartment in Kamenica, with two other 11-year-old children, when a fight broke out between them and their peers,“ Hashani told KoSSev.

Meanwhile, Nenad Stankovic, the father of the injured boy in a statement to RTV Puls refuted the statement of Kosovo police that it was a “children’s quarrel”. He said his son was attacked for no reason at the local store.

“My son was attacked by three boys, about the same age, in a shop in Kamenica, not far from the apartment where we live, and who injured him. It is a complete lie that the children quarreled and fought while playing in front of the building”, he said.

Media recalled there are about 700 Serbs living in this town. 

Vucic: I didn’t get invitation for Brussels (Radio KIM)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he didn’t receive an invitation for continuation of the dialogue in Brussels this month, adding he would respond positively to it, Radio KIM reports.

“If I receive an invitation I would go”, Vucic said, and confirmed there will be no continuation of the technical dialogue this month either. 

Petkovic: Kosovo Security Forces want to intimidate Serbian population (Radio kontakt plus)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said today Kosovo Security Forces have installed booths in several Serbian areas with “alleged intention of distributing protective masks to passers by”, Radio kontakt plus reports.

Presence of KSF members was noticed in Gracanica and Partes, the statement said, adding it has nothing to do with preventing the spread of Covid-19 but rather with intimidating the Serbian population.

“Everybody is well aware what the true motive and the aim of establishing the so-called “Kosovo army” were, and beyond any doubts this is about dangerous provocation carried out under the pretext of implementing “epidemiological measures to prevent spread of Covid-19”, Petkovic said.

He also said the epidemiological situation in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo is under control, and merits for that go solely to the Serbian state, and there is no reason for Kosovo Security Forces to be present there.

Petkovic further stated the presence of Kosovo Security Forces has nothing to do with prevention of Covid-19, but serves exclusively as a way to intimidate and pressure Serbian population, in particular ahead of the local elections in Kosovo.

“Let them go with their armoured vehicles to the Albanian areas and distribute protective masks there, given the fact that based on official records they are on top place in the world when it comes to number of infected and progressive spreading of epidemic, since there is no need for them to be in the Serbian areas”, he said.

Meanwhile, the Serbian List also reacted. In a press statement it condemned “provocation of the Kosovo Security Forces members that under the pretext of fighting against Covid-19 disturbed the Serbs south of the Ibar River with their armored vehicles”.The Serbian List added that “this insidious provocation was unprecedented”. 

They also said if Kosovo institutions had honest intention to help Serbs fighting against coronavirus then they should have enabled the vaccination process in the Serbian health institutions, instead of banning distribution of vaccines and threatening doctors would be arrested in the peak of the pandemic. 

Rakic and Federici spoke about security, frequent attacks against Serbs (Kosovo-online)

Serbian List President and Minister for Communities and Returns Goran Rakic met with KFOR Commander Major General Franko Federici and discussed the security situation and frequent attacks against the Serbs, Kosovo-online portal reports. They also discussed upcoming local elections.

In a Facebook post, Rakic also wrote it was stressed in a meeting that Kosovo Security Forces can’t be present in the north of Kosovo.

Mayors of four northern municipalities, Milan Radojevic, Vucina Jankovic, Zoran Todic and Srdjan Vulovic were present in a meeting.

   

International 

  Serbian Arms Used in Africa’s Sahel Conflict: Amnesty International (Balkan Insight)

Human rights group Amnesty International said that its analysis of video images from the conflict in Africa’s Sahel region identified 12 cases in which fighters were carrying weapons that were recently manufactured by Serbian company Zastava.

Serbian-manufactured weapons were identified in videos and photographs posted on social media by armed groups operating in the Sahel region of Africa, including an Islamic State affiliate which has claimed responsibility for hundreds of civilian deaths, international watchdog Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

They said that the rifles are “some of the latest available models, [and] match trade records of Serbia’s sales to Burkina Faso, suggesting the weapons were recently sold to the government of before falling into the hands of armed groups”.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3kkLYrV