“They were burned, destroyed, demolished and shelled.”

The mosque located near the Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica did not escape this destruction.

Today, not a single foundation stone remains in that area to testify that a religious building once stood there.

Serbian forces completely burned down the mosque in 1999.

According to Ramadan Shkodra of the Islamic Community of Kosovo, there were around 400 mosques in Kosovo before the war, while more than half of them suffered various forms of damage.

“There were approximately 400 mosques before the war. Of these, 218 were attacked, destroyed or demolished in various ways. This includes the headquarters of the Islamic Community of Kosovo, the Llapi Mosque, and, in Vushtrri, the Bazaar Mosque, as well as many other mosques,” Shkodra explains.

He explains that in certain cases, the objective was not only to demolish the mosques, but also to erase every sign indicating their existence.

“Serbian forces wanted to create a new reality. After mining and destroying Islamic heritage sites, they levelled the ground with an excavator so that every trace would disappear and a new reality could be created, one in which churches or other buildings could be constructed,” he says.

Some of the mosques were not only physically damaged, but also desecrated with nationalist inscriptions.

“We also had cases of the desecration of places of worship. Nationalist graffiti was written inside the mosques, including graffiti expressing Orthodox affiliation, as well as anti-Albanian, anti-NATO, anti-US and anti-European messages,” Ramadani said.

Most of the mosques damaged during the war have now been restored.

However, the mosque near the Ibar Bridge remains unrestored.

The television broadcaster also sought a response from the institutes responsible for protecting monuments, but they did not reply.

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MP Fitore Pacolli has spoken out in defense of Kosovo’s water resources, sharing footage of the demolition of a structure built near a body of water.

She said that water is an essential asset and that its preservation must be a priority.

“We will not tolerate degradation and irresponsible construction along lakes and water sources,” Pacolli wrote.

According to the MP, Kosovo is facing a shortage of water resources, while climate change is increasing uncertainty about their future.

Pacolli stressed that caring for water is the responsibility of citizens, institutions and the entire nation.

“What we have today must be carefully protected so that we can leave it to future generations as well. Water is life, and we will preserve it as a national asset,” she wrote.

She attached a video to her post showing an excavator demolishing a structure near a body of water.

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Acting Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning Fitore Pacolli has said that protecting water resources is one of the main priorities.

In a Facebook post, in which she also published a video of Lake Radoniq, Pacolli described the lake as one of the main sources of drinking water.

She stressed that environmental degradation and irresponsible construction near lakes and water resources would not be tolerated.

“We will not tolerate degradation and irresponsible construction along lakes and water resources. Kosovo is facing a shortage of water resources, while climate change is making their future even more uncertain. For this reason, protecting water is a civic, institutional and national duty. We must carefully preserve the resources we have today so that we can leave them to future generations as well. Water is life, and we will protect it as a national resource,” Pacolli wrote.

Several days ago, the minister announced that a building used as a restaurant near Lake Radoniq would be closed.

Several illegally built structures in the area surrounding the lake have also been demolished.

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A ceremony to bless a plot of land in the village of Zogaj, Vushtrri, where the Prizren-Prishtina Diocese plans to build a church in the future, has sparked protests by residents of several villages in the municipality and triggered a public debate in Kosovo.

The event, held on August 17, was interpreted differently by the Municipality of Vushtrri and the Catholic Church of Kosovo.

Municipal authorities say they were not informed in advance about the laying of the cornerstone and that they had not received an application for a construction permit. The Church, on the other hand, insists that the municipality had been notified, while clarifying that the ceremony did not mark the start of construction work on the building.

The debate began to take public shape at the end of July, when the Council of the Islamic Community of Kosovo (BIK) in Vushtrri spoke out against the plan. Its statement said that in the area where the construction is planned, “not a single Catholic believer lives there and all the surrounding villages are Muslim.”

The Council stressed that “any project that may be perceived as provocative or that infringes on the feelings of the community must be addressed with responsibility and prudence.”

BIK in Vushtrri did not respond to Radio Free Europe’s (RFE/RL) request for further clarification.

The Prizren-Prishtina Diocese told RFE/RL that the ceremony had been misinterpreted. Dom Fran Kola, the episcopal vicar, explained that on August 17 the land was blessed and a cornerstone was laid for a religious building that could be constructed in the future.

According to him, the mayor of Vushtrri had been informed in advance about the ceremony, while the Kosovo Police had been notified during July.

Kola said the Diocese had planned to hold a Mass in Zogaj on August 18 to bless the site and baptize several people.

The baptism was moved to Mother Teresa Cathedral in Prishtina, with the stated aim of preserving calm and peace in Vushtrri and among the Albanian people.

Regarding the property, Kola said that the plot belongs to the Diocese and covers an area of 11,266 square meters. According to him, it was donated by the Musa family from Maxhunaj.

The BIK Council in Vushtrri has raised suspicions that the project may be backed by individuals whom it says are known for “divisive rhetoric” and “inciting interreligious hatred.”

Kola believes that in this case BIK was referring to movements that call for leaving Islam and converting to Christianity, including the Deçan Movement and the Return Movement.

“No movement, nor any political party, is involved. Absolutely not,” Kola said, emphasizing that the initiative is being led by the Diocese.

The Return Movement told RFE/RL that it has no role in the project, but that, at the request of residents, it distributed information about the August 17 ceremony.

Arbër Gashi, a representative of the organization, said the aim is not to build churches, but for “Albanians to peacefully return to the faith of their ancestors.”

Kosovo is a secular state. According to the 2024 population census, 93.49 percent of citizens identified as Muslim, 2.31 percent as Orthodox and 1.75 percent as Catholic.

Clashes between Muslim and Catholic believers over conversions have frequently appeared on social media. Numerous reactions also followed the publication of the plan to build the church in the Municipality of Vushtrri.

Gashi said that Musë Musa, whom he identified as one of the people who donated land for the construction of the church, is not a member of the Return Movement.

Earlier, a lawyer filed a criminal complaint with the Special Prosecution against Musa, accusing him of inciting hatred and intolerance. According to the lawyer’s allegation, Musa had called on social media for the killing of Muslims.

The Special Prosecution did not comment to RFE/RL on the matter.

Gashi said that the Return Movement does not support either hate speech or insults against members of another religious community. The Diocese also said it condemns anyone who insults believers of any faith.

The Diocese said that, based on the data available to it, more than 100 Catholic believers live in Vushtrri. According to the Diocese, “when a sufficient number is reached, we will turn to the competent authorities with a project and a request.”

This figure does not correspond with the results of the 2024 population census, in which only 37 residents of the Municipality of Vushtrri identified as Catholic.

Kola said that more than 300 to 500 people are needed to move the project forward.

Speaking about the August 17 ceremony, he said: “Construction was neither present in our minds, nor in our actions, nor will it be until we have a sufficient number of people to build a facility.”

Kosovo’s Constitution guarantees freedom of belief and religion for every citizen. Religious denominations have the right to organize their activities and rites independently, as well as to establish religious schools and charitable institutions. / RFE/RL

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Faton Peci, the mayor of Mitrovica, has announced through a video that the construction of the new bridge over the Ibër River is taking shape.

He said that the bridge will also have an additional role, as the Mitrovica regional hospital is planned to be built in the area near it.

Speaking from the bridge under construction, Peci greeted citizens and recalled that the realization of this project had been one of their promises during the local elections.

According to him, the bridge is becoming a reality thanks to government support, while its importance will increase even more with the construction of the regional hospital nearby.

Peci declared that the more bridges are built in Mitrovica, the more the value and importance of the presence of unnecessary forces on the city’s central bridge diminishes.

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Researcher Auron Tare has responded on social media to a statement by businessman Mohamed Alabbar, who admitted that his investment in Albania had been a mistake and that he had built at an excessively rapid pace.

Tare linked the statement to the Port of Durrës project, promoted as one of the most ambitious investments in Europe and fully backed by the government.

“Alabbar, the investor presented as the man who would bring Albania one of the most ambitious projects in Europe, is now saying in his own words: ‘I made a mistake in Albania,’” Tare wrote.

According to the researcher, the businessman’s admission makes a public explanation necessary, both regarding the progress of work at the Port of Durrës and the future of this strategic investment.

“The Port of Durrës, the country’s most important port asset, was entrusted to this gentleman with the promise that a transformative project would be built. Today, after all those promises, the investor himself says it was a mistake. This raises a simple question: where is the government? Who will answer to the public about the fate of this project?” Tare said.

He stressed that when a national asset of strategic importance is involved, transparency and accountability are obligations.

For this reason, Tare called for Alabbar’s statement to be followed by an official explanation of what is expected to happen with the project.

“If major promises are made regarding a strategic national asset, transparency and accountability are not optional. They are an obligation. This public statement must be followed by a public explanation of what is being done with the Port of Durrës. Was it a mistake?” Auron Tare concluded.

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