HELSINKI COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN SERBIA SERB COMMUNITY IN KOSOVO HELSINKI COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN SERBIA SERB COMMUNITY IN KOSOVO The research and the publication are financially supported by Kosovo Foundation for Open Society SERB COMMUNITY KO SERB IN S OVO Opinions and conclusions or recommendations given in this report are the sole responsibility of the Helsinki Committee and do not in any way reflect those of the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society. 2 HELSINKI COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN SERBIA Serb Community in Kosovo June, 2012 SERB COMMUNITY KO SERB IN S OVO 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS OVO S About this research .................................................................................................. 7 Conclusions and recommendations - municipalities formed under the Ahtisaari plan ........................................................................................................... 9 Socioeconomic development ............................................................................... 9 Social life ....................................................................................................... 10 Local administration and implementation of the Ahtisaari plan and COMMUNITY KO SERB IN legislation deriving from it ........................................................................... 10 Education...................................................................................................... 11 The media ...................................................................................................... 11 Civil sector .................................................................................................... 12 Serb Orthodox Church ................................................................................... 12 Parallel municipalities ................................................................................... 13 European integration ..................................................................................... 13 Attitude towards Kosovo North ..................................................................... 13 Conclusions and recommendations - Kosovo North ................................. 15 Overall context and changes in Serbia ......................................................... 19 Belgrade-Prishtina agreements ..................................................................... 23 Serb municipalities and ethnically mixed communities ........................... 29 Municipality of Kllokot/Klokot ........................................................................ 29 Municipality of Partesh/Parteš .......................................................................... 33 Municipality of Graçanicë/Gračanica ............................................................... 35 Municipality of Pejë/Peć – Gorazhdecë/Goraždevac ....................................... 38 Serb Orthodox Church in Kosovo .................................................................... 43 Visoki Dečani ................................................................................................ 43 Pećka Patrijaršija .......................................................................................... 44 Crkva u Osojanu ........................................................................................... 45 Municipality of Istog/Istok – Osojanë/Osojane .............................................. 46 Municipality of Shtrpcë/Štrpce ......................................................................... 48 Municipality of Rahovec/Orahovac .................................................................. 52 Municipality of Ranillug/Ranilug ..................................................................... 55 Municipality of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo ............................................................ 59 Belgrade’s attitude towards North Kosovo: Manipulation of citizens ..........63 Interviews with citizens in North Kosovo ..........................................................69 5 ANNEX: ............................................................................................................... 79 SERB COMMUNITY KO SERB IN Law on Education in the Municipalities of the Republic of Kosovo..................79 Law on RTV Kosovo ........................................................................................ 82 Law on Local Self-government ......................................................................... 83 Law on Special Protective Zones ................................................................... 85 Ahtisaari plan and the rights it stipulates .......................................................... 92 S OVO Education in the Serbian Language ............................................................... 92 Serbian Language and Serb Identity ............................................................ 92 Religious and Cultural Heritage .................................................................... 94 The Right to Keep and Develop Links with Serbia .......................................... 95 Policing and Local Police Commanders ........................................................... 96 Serb Community Participation in Decision-Making ....................................... 97 Rights of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons ....................................... 99 Justice System ................................................................................................ 99 Missing Persons ........................................................................................... 100 Belgrade-Prishtina agreements ...................................................................101 Customs Stamp ............................................................................................ 101 Cadastral Records ........................................................................................ 101 Konkluzionet e arritura për Menaxhimin e Integruar të Kufijve ................... 102 Civil Registry Books .................................................................................... 103 Freedom of Movement ................................................................................. 104 Mutual Recognition of University Diplomas ................................................ 105 Photos ............................................................................................................. 106 6 About this research In the period January – June 2012 a team of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia conducted a research on initial effects of the Ahtisaari plan on the situation of the Serb community in Kosovo. In the course of one- day visits to the municipalities of Ranillug/Ranilug, Partesh/Parteš, Kllokot/ Klokot, Novobërdë/Novo Brdo, Graçanicë/Gračanica and Shtrpce/Štrpce the team interviewed municipal officials and civil society representatives. It also interviewed citizens in Rahovec/Orahovac and Gorazhdec/Goraždevac where Serbs are not in the majority. The research was also conducted in North Mitrovica in late June 2012 – at the time the municipal administration formed under the Ahtisaari plan became operational despite the strong pressure from Serb parallel structures. Conclusions and recommendations that make part of this research de- rive from actual findings and other independent sources of information. Ex- cerpts from interviews or summarized interviews with municipal officials and civil society activists in the municipalities formed under the Ahtisaari plan and in solidly Serb populated communities are presented in a separate chapter. This research was realized with the assistance from the Kosovo Foun- dation for Open Society. 7 8 Conclusions and recommendations – mu- nicipalities formed under the Ahtisaari plan Socioeconomic development The newly formed and solidly Serb populated municipalities south of the Ibër/Ibar River have made considerable progress – in infrastructure and overall quality of citizens’ everyday life. These are the municipalities that have accepted the Ahtisaari plan and integrated into Kosovo society. On the other hand, the absence of a clear-cut strategy for socioeconomic development is a major challenge they have to cope with. Such strategy preconditions fresh investment that secures jobs and opens prospects not only to citizens of these municipalities but also to everyone in Kosovo as a whole. Major infrastructural projects have been realized in newly formed mu- nicipalities – in Kllokot/Klokot, Partesh/Parteš and Ranillug/Ranilug in the first place. First infrastructural investment in the villages making up these mu- nicipalities in the past 40-50 years has been made in construction of roads, sewage and water supply systems. Modern medical centers have been either re- constructed or build in almost all municipalities. Buildings to house municipal administrations have been erected or are about to be in most of them. 9 SERB COMMUNITY KO SERB IN Sales of agricultural products at local markets, as well as their export, are the biggest problems for citizens of rural areas. Cooperation between municipalities should be guided by economic rather than ethnic criteria. Densely populated Serb municipalities should seek economic partners throughout Kosovo municipalities regardless of their ethnic structure. S OVO Ethnically mixed municipalities call for special attention. Development of their infrastructure lags behind the infrastructure of the newly formed mu- nicipalities. The young in the municipalities included in this research are the