How Milosevic stripped Kosovo's autonomy - archive, 1989

As part of theYugoslav federation, the province of Kosovo was granted full autonomy in 1974, giving it almost the same rights as Yugoslavia’s six republics. Fifteen years later, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic proposed amendments to the Constitution of Serbia which would strip Kosovo of most of its autonomous powers. This prompted violent protests and on 3 March 1989 a state of emergency was declared, imposing direct rule from Belgrade over the province.

On 23 March 1989, the Assembly of Kosovo voted to accept the proposed amendments and five days later the Assembly of Serbia approved the constitutional changes effectively revoking the autonomy granted in 1974. Milosevic would go on to further fan Serbian nationalism, which ultimately led to the break-up of Yugoslavia and the ensuing wars of the 1990s.

Yugoslav reforms will not end ethnic strife

Barney Petrovici in Belgrade
26 November 1988

Yugoslavia yesterday enacted constitutional reforms to streamline its economy and boost central power in the face of the country’s crippling economic, political and social crisis.

It has taken two years of bitter debating and quarrelling at various levels of the state and the ruling Communist Party structures to adopt 39 amendments, or one-third of the constitution .

Yugoslavia is a complex political structure made up of six republics and two autonomous provinces, both within Serbia, its largest republic. Each of the federal units has the power to veto any changes.

Ethnic Albanians in the southern Kosovo province, making up 90 per cent of the population, have resisted attempts by the Serbs to reduce their autonomy. And