Region: European Union

Back to the '90s: Serbian politician assassinated in Kosovo

On 16 January, Oliver Ivanović, the main Serbian opposition leader in Kosovo, was shot dead in front of his office. Contrary to reports in some media, this murder most likely had nothing to do with ethnic divisions in Kosovo. Three months ago, I was part of a small European Forum delegation visiting Kosovo and we spoke to Ivanović at his office about the challenges facing Kosovo in the run-up to local elections. How can such an assassination take place in a de facto EU protectorate where European military, judges and officials are supposed to provide security and help build democracy and the rule of law?