In July the new human rights package came into effect. In this political analysis we provide an overview of the laws and the challenges that need to be considered by the Kosovo institutions on how to improve the enjoyment of the fundamental rights and freedoms for all the community members.

During the past ten days, there has been an upsurge in incidents involving Serb communities in the Pejë/Peć and Klinë/Klina area. These incidents come on the heels of a series of incidents in Klinë/Klina this past May, where Kosovo Serb returnees were victims of robberies and verbal abuses. This newest contribution to ECMI Kosovo’s Kosovo Communities Issues Monitor argues that this series of attacks, while still being under investigation, speaks of an emerging trend of incidents directed at the Serb community in the area, which cannot be discarded as merely isolated cases. This pattern of incidents calls for adequate security measures and engagement from all sides of the political spectrum, including representatives of the majority community.

During the past weeks, the Serb community in and outside Kosovo has marked the holiday of Vidovdan with cultural events and religious services throughout Kosovo. On Sunday 28 June, the annual celebrations surrounding Vidovdan concluded with a memorial service at Gazimestan. No incidents were reported either by police or by media. This is a highly significant step towards normalisation of ethnic relations in Kosovo, even in relation to politically charged commemorations such as Vidovdan. The latest update to our Kosovo Community Issues Monitor analyses the factors that contributed to this positive development.

In the night of 17–18 May, Kosovo Serb inhabitants who had recently returned to the villages of Bicë/Biča and Grapc/Grabac in the municipality of Klinë/Klina, were reported to have been victims of a series of robberies and verbal abuses by unknown assailants. These are the most recent additions to a number of similar incidents involving Serb returnees in the municipality of Klinë/Klina. The Kosovo Police is investigating the incidents, and on Tuesday, it announced that it has arrested seven individuals suspected to be behind the latest robberies and attacks. Events of this nature, even if not always primarily ethnically-motivated, are intolerable and they create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity for Kosovo Serbs inhabitants and especially returnees in Klinë/Klina and elsewhere in Kosovo.

On 6 May, the Gorani community traditionally gathers on the hills and in the villages of the Gora region to celebrate the beginning of spring. This day is considered the national holiday of the Gorani and has been recognised as a memorial day by Kosovo Law.

On 4 May, a Kosovo Serbian inhabitant of the village Pasjane/Pasjan in the municipality of Parteš/Partesh, was reported to have been stabbed by two Kosovo Albanian inhabitants of the neighbouring village of Vllashticë/Vlaštica in what appears to be a case of road rage. Luckily, the victim is not in danger and is recovering from his wounds. The Kosovo Police has reacted swiftly and identified and arrested the two suspected attackers. Upon investigation, the police issued a statement reporting that the incident happened following a car accident during an overtaking manoeuvre, which resulted in verbal aggression and a subsequent fight. The case is now at the Municipal Court of Gjilan/Gnjilane where the perpetrators are accused of attempted murder.