Kosovo’s iconic independence monument, NEWBORN, has once again become the focal point of public expression on the 18th anniversary of the country’s independence.
Following a symbolic “imprisonment” with iron fences and the inscription “Kosovo in Prison!”, this morning the monument was covered with 5,000 magnetic emblems of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK).
Activists from the platform “Liria ka Emër”, who surrounded the monument with metal barriers last night to turn it into a symbolic image of a prison, filled it today with UÇK emblems.
Eliza Hoxha from “Liria ka Emër” stated that this civic action is a response to the perceived injustice of the Special Court, which they consider an attempt to rewrite history and undermine the struggle for freedom and the foundations of the Kosovan state.
NEWBORN, a symbol of February 17 and the birth of the Republic of Kosovo, was included in their activities to reflect the public sentiment of injustice in the face of the ongoing judicial processes at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
Kosovo celebrates its 18th independence anniversary today, while former key figures of the resistance and independence—Hashim Thaçi, former president and prime minister who read the Declaration of Independence; former parliamentary leaders Jakup Krasniqi and Kadri Veseli; and former MP Rexhep Selimi—remain in pretrial detention at The Hague.
