The North of Kosovo - the headline of 2024

On the evening of November 29, Kosovo police said that an explosion in a village in the municipality of Zubin Potok in the Serb-majority north damaged the water supply channel from Lake Ujman, which serves several cities and power plants in the country, which are the main producer of electricity.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, described the attack as a criminal and terrorist act, aimed at damaging the essential infrastructure of the country.

" The attack was carried out by professionals, it is the next criminal and terrorist attack that we believe comes from the gangs directed and orchestrated by Serbia, which has both the interest, the willingness and the ability to cause such attacks and damage, in this particular case using a large amount of explosives in a key joint where repair is difficult ," he said.

The explosion was condemned by the United States.

" We strongly condemn this terrible attack on the critical infrastructure of Kosovo, which endangers the country, the supply of electricity, which endangers heating and the supply of drinking water ", said the American ambassador to Kosovo, Jeff Hovenier.

The European Union called the explosion a terrorist act and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Belgrade denied involvement.

" As a serious state, we were not involved in the accusations. We have not said and I will not say even today that (Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin) Kurti directly ordered the attack. The investigation will tell. Because we are conducting our own investigation, of course. We have certain doubts, but the investigation will finally show who ordered it. We believe that we have some knowledge about who the author could be ," said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

The Serbian president said that his country is under a "hybrid" attack, which aims to "slow down" Serbia's European path.

Ten members of the Serbian community were arrested, two of whom were taken into custody as part of the investigation into the explosion. The police, who increased security measures throughout the country, said they found and confiscated weapons and ammunition during raids in the area around the explosion.

The year 2024 began and ended with tensions in the north and consequently with tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, but also disagreements between the government in Pristina and its western allies.

In February, a decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo entered into force according to which the euro is the only currency that can be used for cash payments in Kosovo. The decision raised the concern of Serbian citizens who receive their salaries and pensions from Serbia in Serbian dinars. Belgrade reacted with anger...

" The goal... is the ethnic cleansing of the Serbian population from the territory of Kosovo, or as stated in the Genocide Convention, the intentional subjection of Serbs to unbearable living conditions... With the Brussels agreements, Serbia has the right to finance the institutions Serbs in Kosovo ", said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that the regulation of the Central Bank does not prohibit Serbia from financially helping the citizens of the Serbian community in Kosovo, and according to him, any statement to the contrary is false propaganda aimed at creating ethnic tensions. In a video message in Serbian, he said that Kosovo has not banned the Serbian dinar, but its introduction in bags through the border.

" Until now, the way of introducing and transporting money across borders allowed criminal groups to receive illegally imported money, thus strengthening their influence on the people, frightening the masses and encouraging criminals from the head of the Serbian state ," Prime Minister Kurti said.

Western diplomacy expressed its disappointment with what it called the uncoordinated decision of the authorities in Kosovo.

The United States requested the postponement of the implementation of the decision, while emphasizing that the lack of coordination has affected the quality of the partnership between the two governments.

" I have to say that we currently have a communication problem with the Prime Minister (Albin Kurti) and this is not only a problem of the United States. I think it is a problem in communication that Kosovo has with the European Union, with NATO, with Great Britain, with the United States and many other partners, including Albania and North Macedonia ", said the American envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar.

The United States and the European Union did not question Kosovo's right to determine the method of payments, but sought a coordinated solution within the talks in Brussels. But a series of technical talks mediated by the EU did not ensure an agreement between the parties on this issue.

At the beginning of August, the Kosovo police closed nine branches of the Post of Serbia that were operating without a license in the north of the country. The Post of Serbia in Kosovo performs postal services and various payments for Serbs that are financed by the official Belgrade. The action again prompted an angry reaction from Belgrade and the displeasure of Western diplomats, who again called for the avoidance of unilateral action.

At the same time, the Kosovo government notified Western diplomats of its plans to open the main bridge over the Iber River in Mitrovica, which also marks the dividing line between the northern municipality inhabited by a Serbian majority and the southern one with an Albanian majority.

The bridge, which is controlled by the peacekeeping forces led by NATO, is open only for the movement of pedestrians but not for cars, although according to the agreements reached within the Kosovo-Serbia talks, it had to be opened.

" Representatives of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, together with the ambassador of the European Union, met with Prime Minister Kurti today to inform him that our governments in consultation with NATO cannot support any change. on the current status of the Mitrovica bridge at this time ," said the US ambassador to Pristina, Jeff Hovenier.

" We are interested in opening the bridge based on the plan that we have shared with our American and European partners, friends, and allies. We held consultations with the Serbian community in the north of Kosovo and in the south. Consultations were made with the Albanians, as well as with the northern and southern municipalities of Mitrovica. We have also tested the physical and technical stability of the bridge over the Iber and we are doing a design, decoration, because we must also take care of the visual appearance of this bridge. We want to do it as soon as possible. But neither will we surprise our European and American partners, friends and allies on the one hand, but on the other hand, nor will we be able to allow this issue to drag on indefinitely. We have a good will and intention and we believe that the opening of this bridge is right, necessary, good and beneficial for everyone ", said Prime Minister Kurti in an interview with the Voice of America.

The European Union warned in August that it may increase punitive measures against Kosovo, if the administration in Pristina continues with unilateral and uncoordinated actions.

Since June 2023, Kosovo has been under punitive measures due to the tensions that followed the forceful sending of Albanian mayors to their offices at the end of May of that year, which was strongly opposed by groups of Serbian citizens, who were clashed with Kosovo police and NATO peacekeeping forces, injuring over 90 members of KFOR.

The European Union had requested the extension of the situation in the north, the removal of special police units from the municipal buildings and the organization of new elections for the mayors of the municipalities inhabited by Serb majority in the north of Kosovo.

However, an initiative to remove the mayors of municipalities in northern Kosovo failed, as Serbian political parties boycotted a referendum on the issue, which would have opened the way for new elections.

Failure to join the Council of Europe

In May, the Council of Ministers of the member countries of the Council of Europe did not put Kosovo's membership on the agenda, although in April it received the green light from the Parliamentary Assembly of this mechanism. Although the government implemented a decision of the Constitutional Court that recognized the ownership of over 24 hectares of land to the medieval Monastery of Deçan, which was one of the conditions for progress towards membership, the process was blocked, as some of the member countries reiterated that taking steps is a condition for the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority.

The agreement reached in February and March of 2023 for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia foresees, among other things, that Pristina will start work on the establishment of the Association, while Belgrade will not oppose Kosovo's membership in international organizations.

In October of that year, European and American diplomats submitted to Kosovo and Serbia a draft Association statute. The leaders of both countries said yes in principle to the document, but things have not moved from the country, while an offer by the government in Pristina to draft a new document was not accepted by European leaders, who insist on implementing the agreement. of Ohrid.

But efforts to renew the stalled implementation process did not make any progress and Kosovo found itself under criticism from Western diplomacy.

Opposition parties in Kosovo criticized the government for, as they said, irresponsible behavior towards the international obligations assumed in the negotiation process, including the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.

" One time they say we accept it, another time we don't accept it, the next time they say decide to sign it, then they say to sign both, then it becomes an obligation of the European Union and now they say they don't accept it. So, they are playing games which are constantly damaging Kosovo as a result of political immaturity, as a result of diplomatic incompetence and as a result of arrogance in behavior ", said the head of the parliamentary group of the Democratic League of Kosovo Arben Gashi.

" There is a letter signed by the prime minister, the speaker of the parliament and the president and there is also another letter from the government from the minister of foreign affairs that they have accepted the Association. They can say it is "non paper" or not, but it has been accepted by the government and I am telling you with full responsibility that they have left us at the door, meaning whoever comes, this government has left the Brussels agreement at the door, the agreement of Ohrid and the draft statute of the Association ", said the head of the parliamentary group of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Besnik Tahiri.

Prime Minister Kurti often repeated that the Association cannot be turned into a priority in the process of normalizing relations with Serbia.

" The basic agreement is the main word of the relations between Kosovo and Serbia, then the others come. Serbia is interested in the basic agreement being forgotten, the implementation annex being forgotten, the dialogue being destroyed and the association being put as the cart before the horse... ", he said.

Disagreements between the Kosovo government and its allies regarding the developments in the north led to clashes even within the institutions themselves. In a clear reference to the disagreements, the President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani said that the alliances between the states are bigger and more important than any politician or a pair of elections and that jeopardizing and undermining them harms Kosovo itself.

" Alliances are here to protect us, therefore putting them at risk, gambling with them or undermining them undermines the very defense of our Republic ," she said.

The North and the alliances have already become part of the campaign for the parliamentary elections that are expected to be held on February 9.

Proceedings at the Special Court in The Hague

At the beginning of December, the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor based in The Hague, which deals with war crimes in Kosovo, announced that it has filed charges against the former President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, for criminal offenses of obstruction of justice.

Simultaneously on the ground, the Prosecutor's Office arrested three people, Bashkim Smakaj, Isni Kilaj and Fadil Fazliu, for trying to obstruct officials in the performance of official duties and disobedience to the court and summoned the former Minister of Justice Hajredin Kuçi, for disobedience to the court.

In his appearance before the court regarding the new charges, Mr. Thaçi requested that the Constitution and laws of Kosovo be respected in the processes taking place in The Hague.

" I know that Kosovo is on the verge of general electoral elections, but I am not part of the electoral race. I do not pose a political risk to anyone. Therefore, even today I believe and respect the Constitution and Laws of Kosovo. I ask even today from all who are sitting on which side or in which uniform that we are in this hall to respect the Constitution and Laws of Kosovo because the Specialized Chambers are a product of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo ", he said.

On April 3, 2023, in the Special Court, the trial began against former president Thaçi and three other former officials, under charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Mr. Thaçi, Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi, senior leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, who were arrested in the fall of 2020, are accused of persecution, imprisonment, other inhumane acts, torture, murder and forced disappearance of persons.

All the accused deny the allegations of the prosecution.

So far, the Special Court has convicted two former leaders of the KLA War Veterans Organization, Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj, for obstruction of justice, while it has pronounced two verdicts for war crimes.

Former KLA commander Salih Mustafa was sentenced to 26 years in prison in December 2022, on charges of unlawful killing, arbitrary detention and torture. In December 2023, the Appeals Chamber of this court reduced his sentence to 22 years, while in September of that year, his sentence was reduced to 15 years of imprisonment.

In July of this year, the Court sentenced former KLA member Pjeter Shala to 18 years of imprisonment for the crimes of arbitrary detention, torture and murder.

According to the United Nations, every ten minutes in the world a woman is killed, about one in three women in the world experiences violence. Behind these numbers are stories of deep pain. One of the victims of domestic violence while talking to the Voice of America said that for ten years she endured constant psychological and physical violence from her husband.

" When it hit me, I was in the seventh month of pregnancy, I had a little boy, he was not yet a year old. When he hit me, the boy screamed louder because of the noise and my scream because it was a terrible blow. I was pregnant, but he didn't think about whether he was hitting me in the stomach, leg, hand or left side, and when he hit me, he brought me to the spot ," she confesses.

Adelina Berisha from the Network of Kosovo Women's Groups told VOA that repeated cases of violence are turning into femicide.

" This year, a woman was killed at the doors of the Center for Social Work, a woman was killed who for years reported the case to the institutions. But because of the stigma, because of the social pressure that women have, the deceased tried in different ways to save the marriage, which unfortunately led to murder, to her death ," she said.

Three women were killed during 2024 by their husbands, bringing to 58 the number of women killed since 2010.

According to data from the Kosovo police from January to October 2024, over two thousand and 500 cases of domestic violence were registered.

During an activity within the 16-day campaign against gender-based violence, the Network of Women's Groups of Kosovo noted that in only about two percent of cases, judges impose prison sentences, while in 98 percent of cases of violence against women, only fines or conditional sentences, in the country where the condition for progress is the equality of women./VOA (A2 Televizion)