The Youth Initiative for Human Rights sees it as a failure of the “Miredita dobar dan” festival that some of its previous participants have partook recently in a campaign aimed at glorifying those convicted of war crimes and exerting pressure on the work of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in the Hague.
“The values that gather artists from Serbia and Kosovo are in direct opposition to the values of the ‘Freedom has a name – KLA’ campaign. The festival’s mission is to connect people through the values of civil society – where there is no room for extreme nationalism; the principles of human rights – where there is no room for ethnic discrimination; and the value of justice – where there is no room for denying accountability for crimes,” YIHR said.
Still, the initiation noted, the “Miredita, dobar dan” festival does not take place in a vacuum, but in the Balkans, a place where nationalism, ethnic discrimination and hatred are deeply rooted.”
“We will always fight against that – but there is no guarantee that we will prevail.”
YIHR recalled that the recently held festival in Belgrade sent out a clear message of support for the work of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in the Hague.
“We see in these bodies a chance to determine the truth, have those responsible for crimes held accountable and prosecuted, and achieve justice for the victims who have been practically invisible to judicial systems for the past two decades,” the initiative concluded.
On the day Hashim Thaci and Kadri Veseli announced that the indictment issued against them by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office for KLA War Crimes had been confirmed, a group of Kosovo artists and intellectuals, two of whom participated in the Belgrade-based Merdita/Dobar dan festival, created a campaign ‘Freedom has a name – KLA.’ The campaign slogan can be seen on billboards throughout Kosovo, as well as on social networks and TV stations.
Over the weekend, one such billboard located on the highway in Gracanica caught the public eye due to the negative reaction it stirred among the Kosovo Serb community – which interpreted it as a provocation. The media have since reported that unknown perpetrators have reportedly set the same billboard on fire early this morning.
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