{"id":13711,"date":"2016-06-16T20:00:04","date_gmt":"2016-06-16T20:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajetebeqiraj.org\/?p=13711"},"modified":"2026-01-31T20:43:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T20:43:04","slug":"decan-protest-constitutional-court-land-monastery-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajetebeqiraj.org\/en\/decan-protest-constitutional-court-land-monastery-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Kosovo Court Upholds Milo\u0161evi\u0107-Era Land Decision, De\u00e7an Protests"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Decani<\/p>\n

De\u00e7an, June 16, 2016 \u2013 Radio Kosovo.<\/strong><\/p>\n

De\u00e7an citizens protest a Kosovo Constitutional Court decision that legalized a 1997 Milo\u0161evi\u0107-era land transfer to the De\u00e7an Monastery. <\/p>\n

On the 17th anniversary of liberation, thousands gathered to oppose what they call an unjust ruling affecting 24 hectares of land.\u00a0 Kosovo Constitutional Court Legalizes Milo\u0161evi\u0107-Era Decision.\u00a0 The town of De\u00e7an marked the 17th anniversary of its liberation with a mass public protest, opposing the decision of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo to transfer ownership of 24 hectares of land to the De\u00e7an Monastery.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The land previously belonged to the socially owned enterprises Iliria and Apiko.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This was the second large-scale protest, organized by De\u00e7an Mayor Rasim Selmanaj and the Municipal Commission, composed of representatives from all political parties.<\/p>\n

The Court\u2019s ruling effectively legalized a 1997 decision of the Serbian government, issued under Slobodan Milo\u0161evi\u0107, granting the same land to the monastery.<\/p>\n

Speaking before thousands of protesters, Mayor Selmanaj declared that the monastery would never gain ownership of the disputed land while facing resistance from over 60,000 citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cI publicly call on Sava Janji\u0107 to distance himself from the crimes of Milo\u0161evi\u0107 and to renounce the gifts of that criminal regime. As mayor, and as a municipality, we do not accept and will not implement this decision. It violates law, justice, and the interests of De\u00e7an\u2019s citizens\u2014and it is an injustice to the blood of our sons and daughters,\u201d Selmanaj stated.<\/p>\n

Historian Selim Lokaj warned Kosovo\u2019s institutions that citizens were exhausted and that any escalation would be the responsibility of those in power.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the saying goes: whoever plays with fire will be the first to be burned,\u201d Lokaj told Radio Kosovo.<\/p>\n

Opposition to the ruling extended beyond Kosovo. Azgan Haklaj, President of the Albanian Artistic Union, and Can Tahiri, head of the Albanian Lobby for Europe, traveled from Tropoja to join the protest.<\/p>\n

Citizens: “History alone is enough to put things in their place”. <\/strong><\/p>\n

A De\u00e7an resident, Nysret, urged the Constitutional Court, the Kosovo government, and the De\u00e7an Monastery to revisit historical facts.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistory alone is enough to put things in their place. Otherwise, there will never be peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The protest reflected widespread resistance across De\u00e7an and Albanian territories, highlighting unresolved tensions over land ownership, historical justice, and institutional legitimacy in post-war Kosovo.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2006\u20132026 Ajet\u00eb Shaban Beqiraj. All rights reserved.<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

De\u00e7an, June 16, 2016 \u2013 Radio Kosovo. De\u00e7an citizens protest a Kosovo Constitutional Court decision that legalized a 1997 Milo\u0161evi\u0107-era land transfer to the De\u00e7an Monastery.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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