A referendum to remove Albanian mayors in four Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo failed on Sunday following low turnout. The Central Commission of Elections of Kosovo declared that until 15:30 only 203 citizens voted in the referendum, with around one percent turnout at the end of the process. The referendum comes at heightened tensions between [...]
Search Results for: Kosovo
Islam, Albania, and European Integration: The Vague Role of National Identity in Albanian Secularism
Every Eid-Al-Fitr, the Albanian Muslim community organizes a collective prayer in Tirana’s public square, a crowded event filled with people adoring and worshipping their God, ideals and morals. While attending as a spectator, one can witness a scene colored with feelings of tranquility, peace and harmony. Since the prayer is done in the direction of [...]
Kosovo Central Election Commission to hold referendums in Serb-majority municipalities
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kosovo officially set April 21 as the scheduled date for conducting referendums regarding the dismissal of four Albanian mayors from municipalities. These mayors, whose elections took place last year, have been a source of heightened tensions between Serbia and Kosovo. Citizens of Serb-dominated municipalities, including North Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zubin [...]
The US and the EU issued statements on Saturday and Friday highlighting their concerns over the Kosovo government’s recent actions in relation to the raiding of Serbian-run organisations, as well as the banning of Serbian currency. The US Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey M. Hovenier, said that the US government was “deeply concerned about recent actions [...]
The Serbian Ministry of Defence announced Thursday the launch of an initiative to bring back mandatory military service in Serbia. Serbia had mandatory military service for male citizens until 2010. The mandatory military service requirement applied to men. The length of service varied, but it was typically around six months. The Deputy Prime Minister and [...]
Serbian police crack down on demonstrations following snap election
Serbian police announced Monday that they have detained 38 individuals involved in a protest against alleged irregularities in the recent elections. Teargas was deployed by police against the protesters, who are calling for the recent parliamentary and local council election results to be annulled. The governing populist party, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), has been [...]
Editors’ note: Amid surging violence between Hamas and Israeli forces, JURIST is seeking perspectives from around the world. Neither this nor other commentaries in this series constitute JURIST editorial policy, nor do they necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial team. The 21st century is marked by globalization and Americanization, with transnational law under US [...]
Kosovo dispatch: NATO and the EU commit to stability in the Balkans at Brussels meeting
Ernesa Shala is a JURIST staff correspondent in Kosovo and a recent graduate of the University of Pristina Faculty of Law. She files this dispatch from Pristina. Due to concerns that the unresolved situation between Kosovo and Serbia could increase instability in the region, NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels this week are discussing [...]
The War Crimes of Hamas: Hostage-Taking in International Law
On October 7th, 2023, the State of Israel was brutally attacked by the terrorist organization known as Hamas, instigating an all-out war. In the early morning of October 7th, Hamas terrorist fighters made their way into Israel from the Gaza Strip, invading and occupying Israeli towns, cities, and military bases. This surprise attack in Israel [...]
Kosovo police carry out raids amid renewed violence and unrest with Serbia
Kosovo police raided several locations on Friday in the country’s north, where weekend violence between Kosovars and Serbians left four people dead. The renewed violence between Kosovars and Serbians began this past Sunday when the Diocese of Raška-Prizren reported that a group of masked men in an armored vehicle breached a locked gate and stormed [...]