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Newsletter from the Movement for Self-Determination Newsletter 166 (English version), October 2, 2009
EULEX campaign against activists EULEX is continuing its campaign of trying to eliminate our movement by arresting and imprisoning large numbers of activists. Currently 21 activists are being held in detention in prison on remand for a total of 90 days each prior to trial, since the 25^th August. On Thursday morning, the homes of two activists were searched by Kosova police, without warrants. Later that day, at 16:00, Xhelal Sveēla was arrested, outside his house, after attending the Press Conference of the families of those killed on 10^th February 2007. He was sent immediately into prison on remand. This brings the total of activists in prison to 22. Bernard Kouchner, the French Foreign Minister, is the latest senior EU official to condemn the action to overturn EULEX cars on 25^th August and to demand that our activists be arrested. This political condemnation is being reflected directly by our judicial and policing system, which is directly under EULEX’s control. The court system, handicapped by inefficiency and delays lasting years for some cases, and the police service, which just happened to lose millions of euros worth of drugs from their high security evidence room, have performed with remarkable efficiency to assist EULEX in its pursuit of our activists. Meanwhile, EULEX continues to negotiate two more protocols, on courts and customs, which will further damage the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kosova, as well as publicly acknowledging that it is cooperating with Serbia and its parallel structures, in order to be present in the north of Kosova. The EU officials who are so quick to demand the punishment of our activists, about which they can find a common consensus, are silent on Serbia’s parallel structures, not because of their divisions over Kosova, but because they have a common consensus on appeasing Serbia. The strength of the language they are prepared to use against Serbia, is illustrated by Carl Bildt’s limp request that Serbia be ‘constructive’ and ‘pragmatic’ regarding Kosova.
EULEX marketing campaign EULEX has begun a massive marketing campaign in order to divert attention from the three protocols which it is negotiating and signing with Serbia, regarding Kosova. It has taken out advertising space in Kosova’s newspapers, including Koha Ditore, the newspaper most responsible for highlighting the protocols issue. It has also covered Prishtina and the country in billboards, which cost 400 euro each. After activists wrote ‘Three Protocols with Serbia’ on each of these adverts in spray, EULEX reproduced its posters, to include a graffiti slogan ‘support Kosovo on its path to European integration’, designed to look like our writing. Sadly they were not committed enough to actually spray the slogans on themselves, as we would have enjoyed seeing EULEX police up ladders with spray-paint. It took UNMIK until 2007, to resort to getting children to paint ‘I love U UNMIK’ on the wall where we had traditionally written ‘Self-Determination’. EULEX’s total loss of legitimacy has occurred far more swiftly, and hence it is resorting to excessive and manipulative marketing. We look forward to them hopefully overturning their own vehicles, but would like to warn them, that if they are not careful, they might find themselves labeled ‘anarchist’ and possibly declared ‘illegal’.