The Minister of Diaspora, Valon Murati, has come under fire for linking the illegal emigration from Kosovo to the “privileged” position of minorities in Kosovo. Murati’s statements were widely covered in the media and were condemned by the Consultative Council for Communities, a government body bringing together civil representatives of all non-majority communities in Kosovo.

This Political Update looks into these statements and the political reactions that followed.

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On 9 February, the Prime Ministers of Kosovo and Serbia, Isa Mustafa and Aleksandar Vučić, met in Brussels within the framework of the Brussels Dialogue Process. The meeting, organized by the European Union under the chairmanship and guidance of the new European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, was the first such meeting after a temporary interruption of some ten months due to, among others, elections in Serbia and Kosovo followed by a six-month long political stalemate in the latter country. This was the first meeting between Prime Minister Mustafa and Prime Minister Vučić. An agreement was struck and initialed between the two prime ministers on justice issues in northern Kosovo, but no information was shared on the finer details of the agreement, its scope, nor any deadlines for its implementation.

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On 3 February, Prime Minister Isa Mustafa declared that the Minister for Communities and Return, Aleksandar Jablanović, was no longer part of the Government, on the eve of a new protest that was set to take place on 4 February. As a result, the protest has been suspended for the time being. Jablanović had come under heavy criticism from a large number of political parties, non-governmental organizations, media outlets and the general public after he referred to members of an organization of relatives of missing persons who had blocked the entrance to the Orthodox Church in Gjakovë/Đakovica while protesting the arrival of Serbs to attend the Christmas liturgy as “savages”. At the same time, Srpska lista’s ministers in the government have been under fire since the establishment of the new Kosovo government in December 2014 for statements which indicated that they either ignored or do not recognize the independence of Kosovo, in line with the official standpoint of the Serbian government. On 24 January, a large number of people took part in a protest called by Vetëvendosje, AAK, and “Nisma për Kosovën” demanding Jablanović’s resignation and the adoption of a new Law on Public Enterprises, which would nationalize the Trepça/Trepča mining complex. In a follow-up protest on 27 January, violent clashes broke out between protestors and Kosovo Police.

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On January 24, an estimated 10,000 protesters took the street of Prishtinë/Priština, in one of the largest demonstrations organized in Kosovo in recent times, demanding that Prime Minister Isa Mustafa dismisses Minister Aleksandar Jablanović over his controversial statements and that the Government of Kosovo take over the ownership over Trepça, Kosovo’s large and economically central mining complex. The protests were called by Vetëvendosje and the NGO “Thirrjet e Nënave” (Mothers’ Calls).

This Political Update looks into these current events and is available in three languages:

ECMI Kosovo condemns the violent blockage of entrance to the Serb orthodox church in Gjakovë/Đakovica
On 6 January, Vetëvendosje activists, together with the NGO “Thirrjet e Nënave” (Mothers’ Calls), staged a protest in front of the premises of the Serb Orthodox Church in Gjakovë/Đakovica, in order to prevent the worshipers to enter the Church. The sit in was generally calm and nonviolent in nature. The Kosovo Police intervened and dispersed the protesters, arresting two people in the process.

ECMI Kosovo recalls that while peaceful protesting is a guaranteed right, claims of war crimes should be addressed through the proper legal channels and that the violent blockage of the entrance to places of worship is an act of violence that impedes the stable coexistence of communities in Kosovo and does not bring accountability for war crimes any closer.

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On 10 January, a peaceful protest demanding that Prime Minister Mustafa relieve Minister Jablanović of his duties was held in Gjakovë/Đakovica. The protest, called by Vetëvendosje and the NGO Mothers’ Call and attended by a few hundred citizens, was held after controversial statements made by Kosovo Government Minister Aleksandar Jablanović, which led to a series of furious reactions by opposition parties and the Ombudsperson of Kosovo.

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