The US Ambassador in Pristina Philip Kosnett and EU Office Head Nataliya Apostolova sent an appeal to the Kosovo authorities to implement the 2016 decision of the Constitutional Court which confirmed ownership of Visoki Decani Monastery over 24 hectares of land, KoSSev portal reports.

Following 16 years long dispute the Constitutional Court made decision in May 2016 confirming the previous decision of the Supreme Court from 2012 on Visoki Decani monastery’s ownership rights over  24 hectares of land.

Many Serbs facing property and legal issues in Kosovo have decided to speak about that publicly since they cannot achieve justice in a legal manner, due to injustice imposed against them by the Kosovo society, Serbian media reported.

Also, smaller number of Croats, Roma and Gorani are also facing issues of usurped properties but do not dare to talk about that publicly fearing for their own security.

Almost two decades after the Kosovo war, many thousands of people whose houses or land was seized during or after the conflict have still not been able to get their property back.

At midnight on June 19, 1999, Nusret Ajdezi was woken up by a loud knocking on his door. Four armed people entered his home in a central Pristina neighbourhood and said that he and his family had until morning to flee the house or be killed.

Serbian national broadcaster RTS continues its serial on usurped properties in Kosovo, this time focusing on Mitrovica, featuring some of the cases.

Usurpation of Serb properties in Kosovo and Metohija is ongoing for two decades. There are thousands of court cases opened, while lawyers from Free Legal Aid advise their clients to check every six months in cadastral records, if their properties are still under their names, RTS reports.

Mitrovica is divided town, separated by the Ibar River. Serbs from the southern part were expelled and their properties usurped.

Serbian national broadcaster, RTS continues its serial focusing on usurped properties in Kosovo, featuring some of the cases.

Usurpation and fraudulent sales of displaced Serbs’ properties have been taking place for years in Kosovo and Metohija, thus denying the Serb population right to private property and return. There are more than 5000 cases related to Serb and other non-Albanian properties, while Free Legal Aid is presenting those affected before the local institutions.

Kosovo law on women’s property rights is very advanced, but its non-implementation in the practice is an issue, participants in a debate organized in EU Info Centre in Mitrovica North agreed, Kontakt plus radio reported.

Ruzica Simic, Director of NGO “Zensko parvo” said women in accordance with the law, have equal rights to property, however, traditional narratives represent a great obstacle in the implementation of the law.

Serbian national broadcaster, RTS continues its serial “Pravo na sutra” focusing on usurped Serb properties in Kosovo, featuring some of the cases.

According to RTS, more than a million of land plots in Kosovo and Metohija are usurped. There are assessments saying that more than 35.000 residential units were destroyed. While displaced Serbs from Kosovo wait to repossess their properties, they are being further destroyed and falsely sold.

Kosovo Assembly members adopted some time ago a law on taxation, stipulating owners of usurped properties in Kosovo will not pay taxes until they are able to use their properties again, Serbian national broadcaster RTS reported.

Displaced Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija are facing property issues for many years. While some of them managed to get repossession of their properties with the help of Free Legal Aid, several thousand of property cases are still open. RTS featured some of them.

At a round table on the topic of advancing gender equality and empowering women as precondition to sustainable development organised as part of government's activities to mark 8 March, International Women’s Day, Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj noted the unequal treatment of women in inheriting property. He said his own father left his property only to sons and this is something that should not happen in Kosovo. “We as the people of Mother Teresa ought to lead in gender equality,” Haradinaj said.

Inter-ministerial Commission for Return and Community Affairs was established yesterday, following the proposal of the Kosovo Minister for Return and Communities, Dalibor Jevtic, KIM Radio reported.

By this decision two inter-ministerial commissions from the previous government were united, aiming to unite actions of the ministries in resolving the issues affecting the return process and the situation of non-majority communities in Kosovo.