Nov 24, 2015

Kosova: Clashes in the Capital


Ethnic Albanian Protestors took to the streets of Pristina to express their opposition to the newly made concessions to Serbia that would grant ethnic Serbs greater local powers. The protests quickly developed into riots, reflecting the sensitivity of relations between Kosova and Serbia. 

 

Below is an article published The New York Times:

Riots erupted in the capital, Pristina, on Wednesday as a crisis over relations with Serbia deepened. Several hundred protesters clashed with the police, who used tear gas and armored vehicles to disperse them. Almost eight years after Kosovo won its independence from Serbia, many members of Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority are opposed to concessions made to Serbia. Some opposition lawmakers have disrupted Parliament with tear gas and pepper spray, demanding that the government scrap an accord offering ethnic Serbs greater local powers. The Constitutional Court, which plans to rule on the accord, said Wednesday that a grenade lobbed onto its grounds was detonated by the police bomb squad. Later, an opposition lawmaker was detained over the disruptions in Parliament.

 

Photo courtesy of philippe leroyer @Flickr