Police intervention at October 5 protest: Musliu calls for investigation into those who gave the orders

Ganimete Musliu, an MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), has called on the Kosovo Police Inspectorate (IPK) to fully investigate police actions during the October 5 protest in Prishtina. She said the investigation must be independent and impartial and cover both the officers who intervened and the entire chain of command that decided to use force, Ekonomia Online reports.

She called for accountability to extend beyond the police officers who carried out the orders. In her view, investigators must establish who gave the order and at what level it originated, who led the operation and who assessed the situation. Musliu also called for every officer involved in the unnecessary use of force to be identified and for all evidence that could help clarify the events to be secured.

The MP stressed that the proceedings initiated by the IPK must examine every police action during the protest, rejecting any investigation that would serve merely to appease public opinion. She demanded concrete results and the identification of those responsible to prevent the Kosovo Police from being misused in the future.

Returning to the events of October 5, Musliu alleged that the intervention came on the 21st day of the nationwide protest against the sentencing of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders in The Hague. According to her, protesters had also clearly demanded a vote on amending the Law on the Specialist Chambers.

She said that for 20 days, women and men, girls and boys, children and older people had protested peacefully, with dignity and without incident. According to the MP, an order was issued on the evening of October 5 to use police force against the citizens gathered at the protest, a development she described as incompatible with a democratic state.

In Musliu’s account, participants that day faced large quantities of tear gas, rubber bullets, cold water and physical violence on an unprecedented scale. She alleged that citizens were pursued into spaces and recesses inside buildings, where, she said, violence was used indiscriminately.

The PDK MP rejected the claim that the police action was a response to a situation caused by protesters. According to her, it was a prearranged plan to provoke citizens in the square, regardless of the potential danger to the lives of those protesting for a major cause.

She described the scenes that afternoon as frightening and unacceptable. Musliu said the police violence, which she characterized as brutal, forced many protesters to seek medical assistance, noting that most of them were KLA veterans and children of fallen fighters.

In demanding accountability, Musliu distinguished between the Kosovo Police as an institution and individuals who may have abused their duties. She stressed that the institution itself was not being blamed, but that a uniform could not shield anyone from responsibility, since the police have a duty to protect citizens, not to use violence against them.

According to the MP, peaceful protest is a constitutional right, not a privilege granted to citizens by those in power. She said this right was violated on October 5 and that institutions must therefore provide explanations and be held accountable.

Speaking from the podium, Musliu assured citizens that she would do everything in her power to ensure the incident was not downplayed or the case closed without the facts being established. She said transparency, institutional accountability and concrete answers about the events of October 5 would be demanded.

If the Police Inspectorate fails to fulfill its duty, she said, a parliamentary inquiry committee should be established to examine not only the events of October 5 but also how they were handled by the relevant authorities. Musliu stressed that the time had come for anyone who believes holding power gives them the right to turn the state into private property to answer for their actions and be held accountable.