Kosovo Lawmakers Disrupts Parliament Session With Tear Gas

Opposition MPs in Kosovo have let off tear gas in the national parliament chamber in a noisy protest over a government deal with Serbia. When the majority started the session despite the noise, a few MPs from the opposition started to throw water to their colleagues from the majority, and finally used tear gas to interrupt the session.

Kurti’s wish came true as the session was immediately canceled.

At least two worst affected female parliamentarians were rushed to hospital to receive necessary treatment for tear gas inhalation.

The Kosovo government has called the measure, “Violent…[this attack has] exceeded all bounds of institutional and democratic behavior”.

In Kosovo’s live-streamed parliamentary session on Thursday, Albin Kurti, leader of the radical, left-wing, nationalist Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party, unleashed a smoke bomb to disrupt a debate when a decision with which he did not agree was announced.

The “landmark” considerations are meant for normalising connections from the both locations, based on lawyer and European Union alien plan fundamental Federica Mogherini.

As part of the recent deal, Kosovo agreed to give more financial and legislative rights to its minority Serb community including by setting up an association of Serb-run municipalities.

Serbia rejects Kosovo’s 2008 secession. It has so far received global recognition from about 100 countries.

Two months ago the prime ministers of Kosovo and Serbia signed energy and telecoms deals after EU-brokered talks.

The opposition wants the government to backtrack from the EU-brokered agreement, saying it endangers Kosovo’s territorial integrity.

Kosovo is a former Serbian province populated by almost 1.8 million people, over 90 percent of whom are Kosovo Albanians. Ethnic tensions led to the 1998-1999 Kosovo War which saw North Atlantic Treaty Organisation launch a bombing campaign against the Slobodan Milošević’s Serbia.