Tear gas once again fired inside Kosovo assembly

Tear gas has once again been thrown in the hall of the Kosovo assembly in Pristina.
Source: Beta, Tanjug Monday, December 14, 2015 | 12:31

(Tanjug, file)

The opposition Self-Determination party and the assembly security also clashed in the foyer this Monday, resulting in the arrest of one MP.
These incidents occurred half an hour into a sitting on the formation in Kosovo of the community of municipalities with a Serb majority (ZSO) - a part of the Brussels agreement.

Later on Monday, the chaos from the assembly building spilled over into the streets where demonstrators threw rocks and clashed with the police.

The opposition has been blocking the work of parliament for four months now, by firing tear gas and interrupting sittings, in protest of this agreement that has been suspended by the Pristina authorities and should be ruled on by the Constitutional Court.

Beta is reporting that Self-Determination representatives today said the government was "trying to pressure the opposition," while "citizens gathered in front of the building were shouting, 'The Community and the demarcation won't pass" - the latter a reference to an agreement with Montenegro, also rejected by the opposition.

Before the meeting was interrupted today, deputies from Self-Determination Fisnik Ismaili and Faton Topali, whom a court ordered under house arrests, were seen in the assembly.

The pair are suspected of committing the criminal act of causing general danger and activating tear gas, which is considered a weapon in Kosovo.

The Beta agency is reporting that the Basic Pristina Court's reaction to the violation of its order "is expected."

Gauk Konjufca and Time Kadriraj of the Self-Determination fired the tear gas today, while Ismail Kurteshi was arrested.

This party and the Initiative for Kosovo have been disrupting the work of the assembly for months, which has resulted in the detention of several of their MPs, including Self-Determination founder Albin Kurti.