A group of 40 Albanians, supporters of the Kosovo opposition who were turned back by border police on the way to a protest in Pristina last week, have alleged they were also assaulted.
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The paper’s Brussels-based correspondent Augustin Palokaj writes that the “ease” with which the international community views the latest developments in Kosovo, should make the local leaders take action to decrease tensions and prevent further deepening of the political crisis. Palokaj says there is no doubt that the current government of Kosovo enjoys considerable support from the international community but it has adopted a wrong approach in presenting the opposition’s protests as doomed.
Leaders of opposition parties – Visar Ymeri from Vetevendosje, Ramush Haradinaj from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Fatmir Limaj from the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) – said today in a press conference in front of the National Theatre that they expect massive turnout in tomorrow’s protest. Haradinaj said the protest will begin at 14.00hrs in front of the National Library and move to the front of the Government building. Opposition leaders said the protest will be peaceful and that they will insist on the government stepping down.
Kosovo farmers’ trade union in a statement to the media said it is joining tomorrow’s opposition protest in Pristina. The statement said Kosovo farmers have many reasons to protest because that Isa Mustafa-led government has left agriculture in a miserable condition. “A large part of the budget allocated to agriculture has been stolen, another part has gone to wrong investment and the remaining part is going to party militants,” the farmers’ trade union said.
In a meeting with youth, opposition leaders said called on the people of Kosovo to join the anti-government protest on 9 January adding that the violators of the constitution needs to step down. The leaders reiterated their demands for annulment of agreements with Serbia and Montenegro while Vetevendosje leader Visar Ymeri said the new year will begin on 9 January. The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said they will not allow anything being taken away from Kosovo.
The opposition rally that took place in Peja/Pec today has ended peacefully. In the rally, the leaders of Vetevendosje, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) said the opposition is determined in demanding the revocation of the agreement on Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities and the border demarcation with Montenegro. Vetevendosje leader Visar Ymeri said the region of Peja/Pec will be mostly affected by the agreements.
The Kosovo opposition parties – Vetevendosje, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) – announced they will organise a mass protest on 9 January in Pristina demanding retracting of agreements with Serbia and Montenegro. The decision to call a protest was reached today in a meeting between opposition leaders. AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj also called on the police and judiciary not to follow political orders.
The Kosovo Historians’ League, branch in Decan, announced that it is organizing a protest on 17 December demanding the Constitutional Court revoke the decision to give 25 hectares of land, publicly-owned property, to the Orthodox Monastery of Decan. The protest will also call for resignation of the Constitutional Court’s President Arta Rama-Hajrizi and the judge Bekim Sejdiu. The historians claim that the Constitutional Court has violated the Constitution of Kosovo by interfering in the work of the Basic Court in Peja/Pec.
Following the protest against the agreement on Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities and the border demarcation with Montenegro in Gjakova/Djakovica on Saturday, the opposition is set to organise another rally this week in the city of Gjilan/Gnjilane. A source from the opposition parties said preparations are already underway for the upcoming protest on Saturday.
In a statement to the media, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) said that the 28 November rally announced by the opposition will be peaceful and will send the message to the government that no one can be above the constitution and act against Kosovo’s interest. “We will be peaceful and our rally will not threaten anyone’s life,” the AAK said.