Protest in Prishtina escalates
07/02/2014

39 protesters and 32 police members have been injured today. This is the balance of the ninth day of the student protest. The Kosovo Special Unit forces reacted with tear gas against protesters who were trying to enter the Prishtina University Rektorat. Protesters appealed the police to leave, since their place is not in the knowledge premises.

The police justified the tear gas by saying that protesters threw solid objects against them, causing several officers to get hurt. Spokesperson Flora Ahmeti declared that the police has the right to use all equipments for taking situations like these under control. According to her, some of the police officers are in very serious conditions. Police say that the protesters have also injured some Kosovo media cameramen.

Protesters have returned several times, regardless in protest, regardless of the tear gas.

The clashes continued until 16:00, when the official working hours of the Rectorate are over, and when students close their protest. The organizers accused the police of not only arresting students without a reason, but also by kidnapping them with civil clothes.

The main request of the protestors remains the resignation of Ibrahim Gashi. 33 of them were arrested, including Ilir Deda from the civil society and Ylli Hoxha from the Self-Determination Movement. The “Kipred” Institution considered the arrest non-democratic, and explained that Deda was arrested when he was trying to talk with the police, in order to calm down the protest.

Ibrahim Gashi doesn’t seem to have any intention to resign. The Board of Directors at the Prishtina University declared that they have started addressing the responsibility to the entire staff of the Prishtina University, starting with the Rector. They requested time from protesters and institutions, so that they complete their task, starting with Rector Gashi.

The Board of Directors at the Prishtina University declared that the opposition’s request in Parliament for the resignation of the Board of Directors was an intervention in their autonomy. On the other hand, they declared that the police violence against protesters from the Democratic League and Self Determination Movement. These parties blame the government of Kosovo for the situation that has been created.

For the LDK, the Thaci government is showing that they have no good will to overpass this situation. For the Self-Determination Movement, the Prishtina University has been usurped by fraudulent people, supported by the government, and who are destroying the university of Kosovo, according to them.