Kosovo War

Refugees fleeing the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan were flown in to Pristina airport on Sunday evening, where they received medical check-ups before being sent onwards to the town of Ferizaj/ Urosevac.

The Basic Court of Gjakova/ Djakovica in Kosovo on Thursday dismissed the municipality's request not to allow the only ethnic Serb returnee to live in and renovate the apartment she has returned to.

The decision of the local assembly of Pantelej, a municipality of the city of Nis, the biggest city in southern Serbia, to make a convicted war criminal, Vladimir Lazarevic, an honorary citizen is not surprising and represents part of the "petty political game" of the ruling party, NGO activists told BIRN.

After the rape, the police sent him to the capital Pristina, where his ordeal continued. "Then I was seriously abused again, beaten up… I was praying to be killed rather than endure what was happening to me."

No progress was made in the second meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic within the EU-facilitated dialogue on Monday, where the missing persons issue, among other things, was discussed.

First, let me say that before judge Simmons was elevated to the presidency of the Assembly of Judges, he was also serving in the same capacity as an international criminal judge from the United Kingdom. I sat with him on the trial panel in a murder case in Prizren in 2011, and found his participation to be highly professional.

Aleksandar Vui stated today that it is known that Pritina works contrary to Resolution 1244, i.e. international law, and that is why Serbia opposes it.

Malcolm Simmons, a former head judge for the EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, EULEX told the Kosovo parliamentary commission on legislation on Monday that the mission prioritised putting prominent wartime figures on trial despite having little evidence, and failed to protect witnesses and deliver justice.

This problem is further intensified by the installation of new barricades that KFOR set up a few days ago near the monastery Visoki Decani, Gazeta Express writes.
Such an action provoked a reaction from the citizens of Decani, who said that "these barricades reflect insecurity, political pressure and obstacles to the development of normal life in this area."

Kosovo and Serbia delegations again exchanged familiar accusations of not fulfilling the obligations they have undertaken at the latest round of the EU-facilitated dialogue on normalization of relations between the two countries.

The two delegations met on Tuesday in Brussels convened by the EU's envoy for the dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.