Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives, lower chamber of the US Congress on Tuesday evening organized a panel on war crimes in Kosovo during the conflict in 1998 and 1999, RTS reports.
The members of the panel were representatives of the Kosovo Albanians only, so the discussion was rather one-sided, RTS correspondent from Washington writes.
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Daci told portal Telegraf.rs that in Kosovo an action is being conducted aiming to accuse Serbs of allegedly rape of 20,000 Albanian women in Kosovo during 1998 and 1999, reports Serbian media, quoting the portal.
Today at the launch of the application process for recognition of status to survivors of sexual violence during conflict, Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj said that the government of Kosovo has taken all necessary legal and budgetary decisions to create a climate to enable survivors of sexual violence to come forward. In a Facebook post, Haradinaj said that the pension is the least Kosovo could do to support this category of people who have suffered “physically” and “emotionally”.
Kosovapress reports that the government of Kosovo has set the amount of the monthly payment the victims of sexual violence during conflict in Kosovo will receive at €230. Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Skender Recica, said the decision guarantees the start of a serious process to help victims of sexual violence. The government also established the secretariat of the commission for recognition and verification of the status of victims of sexual violence during conflict.
Ulrike Lunacek, outgoing European Parliament rapporteur for Kosovo said that it is good that the issue of survivors of sexual violence is no longer taboo in Kosovo. She said these victims should not keep silent but raise their voice and seek equal treatment in the society. Lunacek praised former Kosovo president Atifete Jahjaga who she said is an example for Kosovo women and Igballe Rugova from the NGO sector who Lunacek said did an outstanding work with women survivors of sexual violence.
Kosovo’s Ministry of Finance announced that it remains committed to undertaking actions to address all requirements and challenges victims of sexual violence during the conflict in Kosovo face. In a statement, Minister Bedri Hamza said victims of sexual violence during conflict are “the most sensitive category” of society and that they will be treated with utmost priority.
During yesterday’s debate at the Assembly of Kosovo over the opposition claims that Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) veterans’ lists were “inflated”, Finance Minister Bedri Hamza said that while at it, the issue of the “inflated” number of women raped during the conflict in Kosovo should also be addressed. “20,000 women were not raped during the war,” Hamza declared.