• Kosovo: 393 cases with COVID-19, nine deaths and 65 recovered (media)
• New measures announced to contain spread of COVID-19 (media)
• Osmani: We can win battle against COVID-19 only by staying at home (media)
• Gashi: Kurti is endangering state over personal battle with President (media)
• PDK opposes latest measures on movement of citizens (media)
• Haradinaj: New measures, a grave violation of the constitutional order (media)
• Ahmeti: Stopping all economic activities would have grave consequences (media)
• Abrashi: Govt is assuming excessive power with measures and force (media)
• Former minister criticises govt’s approach in fight against COVID-19 (media)
• Gjini: Another violation of the Constitution (Gazeta Express)
• Hasani: New measures on movement, totally anti-constitutional (media)
• NISMA’s Shala: Government is totally out of constitutional control (media)
• RAE communities stand defenseless in the face of COVID – 19 (RFE)
• UNICEF: Children in detention to be released due to COVID-19 threat (media)
• Kurti replies to Thaci, accuses him of trying to impose unconstitutional solution (media)
• Assembly to discuss today PDK’s emergency package (media)
• Svecla issues permits for MP’s participation at the Assembly session (media)
• Mustafa: No coalition talks before LVV exhausts constitutional options (media)
• Engel, Menendez express concern about Trump Administration approach to Serbia & Kosovo (media)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Kosovo: 393 cases with COVID-19, nine deaths and 65 recovered (media)

Currently, there are 393 cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo, 1,420 are in self-isolation, recovered 65, while nine people died from the pandemic.

RTK reports that that the number of epidemiologists in Kosovo is extremely low. There are 22 epidemiologists at Kosovo’s National Public Health including those working at five municipalities: Obiliq, Podujeve, Istog, Drenas and Vitia. So far, no medical process stagnated thank to their readiness to work non-stop, informs RTK.

The National Institute of Public Health confirmed 15 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Monday, bringing the total to 377. The Institute also announced that a 38-year-old woman from the village of Lladovo near Istog died on Sunday after testing positive for the virus, becoming the eighth recorded death.

New measures announced to contain spread of COVID-19 (media)

As of Wednesday, the citizens of Kosovo will have the right of moving only one and a half hours a day outside. The time when they are allowed to leave their homes will be determined based on the last three numbers of the ID cards, said acting Minister of Health, Arben Vitia, at a press conference last night.

"We have decided to introduce new measures to prevent COVID-19 contagious disease. We cannot and should not tolerate even the smallest mistakes when the lives of our citizens are at stake. The measures will enter into force on Wednesday from 06:00, and the authorities will make certain that these measures are implemented accurately," Vitia said.

"After 15 April, from 06:00 hours, the movement of physical persons outside their homes and apartments is prohibited, except for those over 16 years of age who are allowed to move for food supply for medicines and hygienic products and to fulfill their obligations, such as payment or banking. This movement is allowed only for an hour and a half a day, based on the penultimate digit of the ID number. For foreign citizens who do not have a Kosovo ID card, their schedule is made based on the last digit of the passport number," Vitia said.

He added that it is forbidden to be accompanied by another person except in two cases. “Company of any other individual is not allowed, except if they are individuals with disabilities, and those under 16, on condition that they are accompanied by a member of the same family. Due to the high risk for the elderly, we ask that people over the age of 65 not leave the house or apartment except in urgent and necessary cases," he said.

Director of the National Institute for Public Health, Naser Ramadani, hailed the ministry’s new measures on Monday night. “These decisions will have a great impact on the well-being of our population,” he said. “We are doing our best to save as many lives as possible, we promise you.”

Acting Minister of Economy Rozeta Hajdari meanwhile said that the decision to introduce the new measures was not easy and that she was aware that the economy would be hardest hit. However Hajdari said the new steps were necessary to protect the lives of the citizens.

"The sooner these measures are taken the better for the lives of the citizens and ultimately for the economic. If these are not taken or are taken late we will suffer huge economic losses but above all we would have greater losses of human lives," she said.

The measures will be in place at least until 3 May, the Ministry of Health said.

Osmani: We can win battle against COVID-19 only by staying at home (media)

Kosovo Assembly President Vjosa Osmani took to Facebook on Monday to react to the 79 new confirmed cases with COVID – 19 on Sunday.

“The last 24 hours have marked the biggest number of new confirmed cases with COVID, a total of 79. This shows the power of the invisible enemy and it also goes to show that as said by healthcare professionals if we transfer it from one to another the battle against it will be long and painful,” Osmani said.

“Let us join forces then to stop the virus, to save the lives of our loved ones; let us limit our liberties so we can enjoy them later; we need to understand that the fate of this battle is in our hands and that we can be triumphant only if we follow the instructions professionals to stay at home. Together we can make it.”

Gashi: Kurti is endangering state over personal battle with President (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) parliamentary group chief, Arben Gashi, reacted on Monday evening against the latest restrictive measures, saying that acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti is “threatening the state of law” because of a personal battle with President Hashim Thaci. 

“The Prime Minister cannot usurp the authorisations and competencies of the Assembly, the Kosovo Security Council, the Police, the Courts and other independent institutions, and delegate them to the Minister of Health. This madness, with grave consequences in the precedent it is setting, needs to be stopped immediately!” Gashi said. 

PDK opposes latest measures on movement of citizens (media)

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) issued a press release on Monday evening reacting to the latest restrictive measures for the movement of citizens, as part of efforts in the fight against COVID – 19. 

“This is an irresponsible and unprecedented behavior which shows that this government is trying to derail the Kosovo Assembly and to grab hold of all powers. The decision issued by the outgoing government constitutes a grave violation of the constitutional order of Kosovo, therefore, the Democratic Party of Kosovo strongly condemns and calls on all other state institutions and the public to engage in defense of the rule of law and to prevent authoritarianism in Kosovo,” the press release notes.

 “The measures that must be undertaken in the fight against the pandemic must be in line with the laws and the Constitution of the country. No one can undo the constitutional order of our state, let alone those that want to coverup their failures by making repeated unlawful and anti-constitutional actions.”

Haradinaj: New measures, a grave violation of the constitutional order (media) 

Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) leader Ramush Haradinaj said on Monday evening that the latest measures by the Ministry of Health in the fight against COVID – 19 are a grave violation of the constitutional order of Kosovo. Haradinaj said the outgoing government has usurped power “with this anti-constitutional decision”. 

“By ignoring the decision of the Constitutional Court, the government has gravely violated human rights and liberties. Despite the situation created by the pandemics, anti-constitutional actions cannot be tolerated. Kosovo is a parliamentary and constitutional republic and every interference or usurpation of power is condemnable,” Haradinaj said.

Ahmeti: Stopping all economic activities would have grave consequences (media)

Prishtina Mayor Shpend Ahmeti said on Monday that the decision to place the capital under quarantine was made by the Ministry of Health following a recommendation by the National Institute for Public Health. “The Ministry of Trade then sent a list to the police with persons that can go in and out of Prishtina. The permits are issued by the Ministry of Interior Affairs,” he said. 

Ahmeti also called on the central government to allow the movement of supply workers that originate from other municipalities and that operate in Prishtina. “Prishtina is a capital and the main economic artery of Kosovo and a complete shutdown would cause grave economic consequences,” he said. 

Abrashi: Govt is assuming excessive power with measures and force (media)

 Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP Arban Abrashi opposed on Monday evening the latest measures on the movement of citizens, saying that the government is using measures and force to assume excessive power. “Is there any other name for it rather than a coup?” Abrashi asked in a Facebook post. 

Former minister criticises govt’s approach in fight against COVID-19 (media)

Uran Ismaili, former Minister of Health and a senior member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), criticised on Monday the approach of the Kurti-led government in the fight against COVID – 19. 

Ismaili said in a Facebook post that his party a month ago had called for more testing of the coronavirus as means to prevent the spread of the virus. He also argued that the government did not listen to their recommendations or to the instructions of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for more tests. 

Gjini: Another violation of the Constitution (Gazeta Express)

Gjakova Mayor Ardian Gjini said in an interview to T7 on Monday evening that the latest restrictive measures “are another violation of the Constitution”.

Gjini, who is a member of the Haradinaj-led Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), argued that “the government is abusing with power … The [Constitutional] Court has ruled that the government cannot make decisions on limiting movement at the country-level. The government is making drastic measures without the consent of the Assembly. Why do they have to abuse with power in this way? The government is setting extraordinary precedents … I have seen exceptional abuse this evening.”

Hasani: New measures on movement, totally anti-constitutional (media)

Enver Hasani, former President of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, told Prishtina-based Insajderi news website on Monday that the latest restrictive measures on the movement of citizens are anti-constitutional. “The Ministry of Health cannot under any circumstance make such decisions because this is practically declaring a state of emergency and this cannot be done with a decision of the Ministry of Health,” Hasani said. 

“The Constitutional Court has made it exceptionally clear that the Ministry of Health can limit human liberties and freedoms only according to legal authorisations deriving from the Law on Healthcare and the Law on the prevention of Infective Diseases,” he said. 

Hasani argued that the latest decision of the Ministry of Health is a violation of human rights.  

NISMA’s Shala: Government is totally out of constitutional control (media)

NISMA MP Endrit Shala took to Facebook on Monday to react to the latest measures on the movement of citizens. “The dismissed government has no control whatsoever over the COVID – 19 pandemics. Now the dismissed government is totally out of the constitutional control!” Shala said.

RAE communities stand defenseless in the face of COVID – 19 (RFE)

No member of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) communities has been infected with COVID – 19 but there have been no tests in these communities, say officials that work on the protection and monitoring of these communities’ rights. 

Bekim Syla, from the Documentation Centre for Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, told the RFE: “Fortunately, none of them [RAE members] have been infected with the coronavirus. However, according to my information, there have been no tests in these communities. None of RAE community members have shown any symptoms so far,” he said. “These communities are faced with the direst conditions in Kosovo, given their social and economic position, the majority of them live on social welfare.”

 According to the UNHCR, the Roma community in Europe is most exposed to COVID – 19. There are nearly 12 million Roma living in Europe and most of them don’t have access to drinking water, electricity and live in very difficult conditions and without proper medical care. 

Albert Kinolli, a Roma MP in the Kosovo Assembly, said: “no RAE member has been infected so far … But if this situation persists, I don’t think they will be able to cope with the virus because they have major shortages, starting with food, hygienic packages and medicaments … We have asked for aid from the government and the Ministry of Health but so far we have received none.”     

UNICEF: Children in detention to be released due to COVID-19 threat (media)

UNICEF office in Kosovo issued a statement highlighting that children currently in detention face an increased risk of being infected with coronavirus and should be therefore released.

"In Kosovo, we inivite our judicial authorities to reconsider replacing the pre-trial detention and educational measures for juveniles with those of home-based measures such are the home arrest or intensive supervision by the parents," UNICEF said.

See the statement: https://uni.cf/3ce2PXM

Kurti replies to Thaci, accuses him of trying to impose unconstitutional solution (media)

Acting Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti has replied to President Hashim Thaci on his request to the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) to put forward a candidate to form the new government of Kosovo following the motion of no confidence.

"In your letter of date 01.04.2020, as well as during our inter-institutional meeting of the same date, you have emphasized, re-emphasized and overemphasized your will to fully adhere to the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Kosovo. Therefore, allow me to express my deep regret after your recent letters, in which you openly state your intention to avoid your constitutional duty to dissolve the Assembly and call for new elections, after the end of the battle against COVID -19," Kurti writes in the outset of the letter.

Kurti tells Thaci further that it was not his responsibility to assess the interests of political parties through his meetings with representatives of parliamentary parties and that his duty is to instead "protect the state interest." In addition, Kurti said, the Constitutional Court has clearly stipulated that “The Court reiterates that the President of the Republic can only consult with the political party or the coalition that has won a majority in the Assembly, whether absolute or relative majority.”

"I believe that it is also clear to you that it is not the duty of the President to impose by letters requesting the names of candidates for Prime Minister. Especially not in a period of health emergency. But let me emphasize that this letter is not a refusal to give you a name of the candidate for Prime Minister. It is a reminder of the framework of your competencies and constitutional obligations that fall on the institution of the President of the Republic of Kosovo, after a successful motion of non-confidence, since it is not at your discretion to impose unconstitutional scenarios. Also, in addition to being a reminder that the health of the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo is my and the Government's priority, it is an invitation for you as well to put it as your priority, leaving aside political games and no longer endangering the lives and health of our citizens."

See the letter: https://bit.ly/34zuG1X

Assembly to discuss today PDK’s emergency package (media)

Kosovo Assembly MPs will gather today to discuss the financial emergency package of €320 million, proposed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), in order to overcome pandemic crisis.

The Democratic League of Kosovo announced they would not support this proposal, while two opposition political parties the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and the Social-Democratic Initiative (NISMA) said they will vote for the package. PDK appealed to all parliamentary political parties to vote the emergency package, as it addresses the needs of the citizens in the time of pandemic and economic crisis. Acting government of Kosovo has foreseen a package of €170.6 million, while PDK has proposed a package of €320 million.

Svecla issues permits for MP’s participation at the Assembly session (media)

Acting Deputy Minister of Interior, Xhelal Svecla has signed on Monday a decision for special permit of movement of the Kosovo Assembly MPs who will participate at the session.

RTK reports that constitutional experts consider this decision to be anti-constitutional. It also reports that the permit for MPs is a strange decision of the acting government which appears to be using the situation to concentrate power by making absurd decisions as a deputy Minister has no right to issue permits to those elected by the population.

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Isa Mustafa commented on MPs being provided with special permissions to attend today's session of the Assembly which will discuss the financial emergency package proposed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

Mustafa said that the move puts the acting Minister of Interior, Xhelal Svecla, and the Kosovo Police above elected representatives. "If he would not permit it, the MPs would not be able to go to the Assembly. This smells like dictatorship," Mustafa wrote.

Mustafa: No coalition talks before LVV exhausts constitutional options (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Isa Mustafa said on Monday that he has asked for the consent of his party’s general assembly for an eventual coalition with the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, NISMA, New Kosovo Alliance and non-majority communities. 

Mustafa however said the coalition would not be discussed until the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) exhausts all constitutional options as the winning party in the previous elections.

Engel, Menendez express concern about Trump Administration approach to Serbia & Kosovo (media)

Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Senator Bob Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, called on Monday on the Trump Administration to continue diplomatic support to resolve the Kosovo-Serbia conflict in a way that’s fair to both countries and consistent with U.S. law and longstanding policy.

In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the lawmakers cautioned that the Administration’s heavy-handed approach to Kosovo unfairly penalizes the country’s new government and that Serbia’s derecognition campaign against Kosovo and close ties to the Kremlin have gone largely unchecked.

See the complete letter as published at: https://bit.ly/2JZIk59