SCENES

2007

Going home
Branimir, a Serbian college student, used to live in a multiethnic village before the war. During the forced-Albanian exodus in 1999, Branimir and his family protected the home of their Albanian neighbor. When Kosovo's Albanian refugees returned after the war, a tide of violent retribution from militant Albanians swept through Serbian villages. Branimir's family fled and their home was burned down. In 2007, he returned to the ruins of his childhood house for the first time in eight years and discovered who was responsible.

They didn't have to do this
Emina, a teenager in Rahovec, is half Bosnian, half Albanian. She is fluent in Serbian and Albanian, and walks freely amongst both worlds in her divided town. Rahovec was ravaged by Serb paramilitary forces before and during the war. Emina still doesn't understand why.

Triumf's march
In August of 2007, a police officer named Triumf Riza was slain in broad daylight on a busy street in Pristina. His killer had been hired by an organized crime boss who felt threatened by Riza's investigation of him. One week later, Riza's friends organized a silent march in his name to protest Kosovo's organized crime and the government's judiciary branch. The entire city shut down.

Freedom is something you take
The United Nations began its supervisory and stability mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) with the passage of Resolution 1244 in June 1999. While it can be credited with stabilizing Kosovo after the war, UNMIK's administration has seldom lived up to Albanian and Serbian expectations. In this segment, imprisoned political activist Albin Kurti and journalist Jeta Xharra explain why.

2008

Newborn
On February 17th, 2009, Kosovo's Albanian-dominated parliament unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. It was a day Serbs and Albanians will never forget.

Broken justice
As of 2008, Kosovo's judiciary was backlogged with over 200,000 untried cases. Journalist Jeta Xharra was investigating judiciary corruption when members of her crew were beaten up by civil servants in a judicial building. As Xharra asserts in this segment, corruption and censorship is rampant throughout Kosovo's ministries.

No return
In 2007, the Kosovo government paid over two million euros to reconstruct Srpski Babus, a Serbian village in Central Kosovo. As of 2008, only six families were living in Babus, though it was intended for 75. The empty village represents the UN's failure to bring Serbs home.

Independence
Emina wants to be a lawyer. In order to become one, she must attend university outside of Kosovo. In 2008, she was accepted at a university in Spain. One obstacle prevents her from realizing her dream: her documents.

Other

CTV Interview
As Kosovo seeks independence, CTV News interviews Chris Bobyn.