Kosovo without official day relief

Following KFOR soldiers' entry into Kosovo, Serbian forces have left Kosovo's territory.

But even though a decade has passed after declaring independence and 19 years after the war ended, Kosovo still has no official day of liberation.

June 12th, marked as the date NATO forces entered Kosovo, at the Law for Official Festivals adopted in 2008, is not an official holiday, nor is it known as a day of liberation. This date has been introduced to this law at marked or memorial festivals.

Even the name does not have the Day of Deliverance, but it is like the Day of Peace.

The days of liberation, marked only on the municipal level, from separate municipalities to different dates, depending on when they were released.

MPs from the opposition Kosovo Assembly, but analysts also consider it absurd not to introduce June 12th as an official holiday as a day of liberation.

Some even say that the marking of the day of liberation is due to the non-recognition of the KLA war, for the liberation of the country.

AAK MP Rasim Selmanaj, who in 2008 when this law had been adopted, had voted against, since the law had many shortcomings, says of Kosova Prees, that it is now the right time for the country's institutions to complete the change of law on official holidays and place June 12th as an official holiday and mark it as a day of liberation.

I share the thought that this large number of holidays should be reduced anyway. The idea of the day of liberation, June 12 in this case, becoming an official holiday, is appropriate. Yet, it is good to make these necessary changes through changes in the bill. It shouldn't just be a memorial party. This should be a holiday, and on the day of liberation considered the liberation of Kosovo should also not work institutions, but not just memorial days”, Selmanaj said.

Selmanaj points out that there have been demands from some communities, especially from the Serb community, to adopt as their official holiday and what is known as the Kosovo Battle (28 June), which he says is unacceptable and there is no logic that it is equal or accepted.

Vetevendosje Movement MP Rexhep Selimi tells Kosovo Press that the lack of liberation day is due to the failure to recognise the KLA's liberation war.

“Sheml has no liberation party, it is not why they do not consider Kosovo not liberated, but do not recognise the struggle for liberation. Because if he knew the struggle for liberation as it should have been, then the day of Kosovo's liberation would result. So they don't have these problems on liberation day, not the description of the day of liberation in the law for official holidays is about liberation, not liberation day. The KLA war has not been addressed approximately, nor historically, nor in terms of dignity in the Constitution and laws of Kosovo. So the problem is to fight liberation, not on day of liberation”, Selimi said.

According to Selimi, with this political class leading with Kosovo, the law cannot be changed for official holidays and introduced June 12th as a day of liberation, since they lack two basic things, will and devotion to the nation.

Entering June 12th as the official holiday of Kosovo's liberation, analyst Imer Mushkolaj also finds it necessary.

Kosovo as each state in the world should have its own day of liberation. In fact, when the decision is made to call this day a day of peace has been taken with the idea that any other community's rights, respectively, are being violated by the Serb community, with the idea that they are being irritated if called freedom day. However, no other term can replace the day of liberation, nor can we forge history. On that day, Kosovo has been released, and this must be the day of liberation. If this law was adopted at a time, however, Kosovo institutions have not had full competencies that does not mean that institutions do not change the law. The law has to change, now Kosovo institutions decide everything in the country, and the Kosovo Assembly must nevertheless take the initiative for Kosovo to have its own liberation day”, Mushkolaj stressed.

According to Mushkolaj, the day of liberation is not the only day of liberation of Albanians from Serbian occupation, but the arrival of NATO forces in Kosovo and the conduct of freedom, which has been good news for other communities as well.

He also stressed that June 12th, the day of liberation should not equal other memorial festivals because it exceeds these sizes.

Kosovo under the law on official holidays has 11 official holidays. They are the New Year and January 2nd, the Independence Day of the Republic of Kosovo, February 17th, the Day of the Constitution of Kosovo, April 9th, International Labour Day, May 1st, Europe Day, 9th May, Bajrami the Great, the first day, Bayram the Little, Day the first day, Catholic Christmas, December 25th, Orthodox Christmas, January 7th, Catholic Easter, Easter Monday and Orthodox Easter, Easter Moon.

While, memorial holidays under this law are, November 28th, Albanian Day, June 12th, Peace Day, 6th Mars, Memorial and Self - Respect Day, April 23rd, Turkish Day, April 8th, Roma Day, February 15th, Ashkalije Day, September 28th, Day of Bosniaks and May 6th, Day of Gorani.