The Serbian Government Office for Kosovo issued a press release yesterday strongly protesting over the legal violence against Saša Aranđelović, Dejan Urošević and Goran Savković, arrested on October 22 at Jarinje administrative crossing point due to alleged suspicion they were transporting explosive materials, TV Most reported.
Deputy chief of the EULEX mission in Kosovo, Bernd Thran, said today that decree of Serb judges and prosecutors represents a historic day for Kosovo. Thran held today a lecture in front of the students of ISPE College entitled “ EULEX’s role on implementation of the rule of law.”
”Today, President Hashim Thaci decreed judges and prosecutors who come from the northern part and this is a historic day. We are very proud to see what has happened, but what remains for us to see is implementation of this agreement,” Thran said.
*Op-ed by Filip Ejdus, speaker at the panel “The EU as a crisis management actor: CSDP in the neighbourhood” on the Belgrade Security Forum 2017.
In June 2016, the EU extended the mandate of the Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) until June 2018. While the fate of the mission after that date is still uncertain, the coming end of the current mandate provides an excellent opportunity to take stock of a decade long and over a billion € worth of EU investment in Kosovo’s rule of law.
EULEX paid tribute today to Audrius Senavicius, a customs officer from Lithuania, who was killed in the line of duty in the northern part of Kosovo on 19 September 2013. Head of mission, Alexandra Papadopoulou, laid a wreath at the site where Senavicious was shot four years ago. “Today we pay our respects to his life and his dedicated service. May his memory be eternal. My thoughts are with his wife and two sons, who to this day still do not have answers to the many questions surrounding his murder,” Papadopoulou said.
Lawyer Jovanka Savić tries to invoke the responsibility of the British part of KFOR, for not providing security to citizens in the period when NATO entered Kosovo. She also questions the responsibility of UNMIK and EULEX for inertia in investigating crimes against civilians, RTS reports.
On the occasion of the International Day of Missing Persons, gatherings would be organized in Gracanica and Pristina today.
As it was announced, gathering in Gracanica would start at 11.00, while in Pristina this day would be marked by laying flowers at the monument dedicated to the missing persons nearby the Kosovo Assembly.
The EULEX Special Prosecutor has requested for the three suspects of serious crime of killing two UNMIK officials and serious attempted murder of two other UNMIK officials in 2004, to be put under detention.
Two of the suspects, Bajram Kicmari and Alban Dizdari were arrested yesterday during an operation as part of the continuing criminal investigations by the Special Prosecution conducted by EULEX and Kosovo Police.
The third suspect, Faik Shaqiri, was extradited during the last night from Germany.
Arrest warrants were issued by a Kosovo judge.
Dozens of EULEX police members surrounded this morning village Koshovice, Podujevo municipality, regarding a 13 year old case. Sources within EULEX told Gazeta Express that today’s raids are related to the murder of two UNMIK police officers in 2004 and attempted murder of two others.
“There are also arrested individuals for possession of arms,” said the source.
The Heads of the EU Office in Kosovo/EU Special Representative, the EULEX and the EU Missions in Kosovo welcome the statement issued yesterday by the Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission, Mr Alojz Peterle.
In addition, the Heads of the EU Office in Kosovo/EU Special Representative, the EULEX and the EU Missions in Kosovo express concern over reported incidents of intimidation and pressure, such as those witnessed over the past days in the north and elsewhere in Kosovo.
Today, Kosovo marks the national day of missing persons and, on this occasion, EULEX takes the opportunity to remember those who have gone missing and the plight of their families. EULEX remains committed to help solve the issue of the missing.