Kosovo: new wave of Serb arrests, Belgrade calls for EULEX
Seven Serbs were arrested in Gracanica and Lipljan as Pristina's operations continued, Srpska Lista is demanding an urgent EULEX deployment, escalating tensions before the Tivat summit.
- Seven Serbs were arrested in Gracanica and Lipljan as Pristina's operations continued.
- Srpska Lista is demanding an urgent deployment of EULEX and KFOR units in northern Kosovo.
- The arrests come before the EU-Western Balkans summit set for 5 June in Tivat.
- Belgrade has signalled it will raise the issue at the summit and seek specific EU measures.
Albin Kurti, the caretaker prime minister of Kosovo, has launched a new wave of arrests of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija over recent days. Seven Serbs were arrested in Gracanica and Lipljan, which Belgrade and Srpska Lista call a continuation of pressure on the Serbian community before upcoming elections.
According to Srpska Lista, more than 150 Serbs have been arrested in Kosovo and Metohija over the last five years and two months. The reasons listed in Pristina’s indictments include songs and flags, alleged war crimes, and various forms of affiliation with Serbian institutions.
What Srpska Lista alleges
Srpska Lista, which represents Serbs in Pristina’s interim institutions, says Pristina authorities are arresting Serbs from education and healthcare institutions under the pretext of system integration. By their assessment, this is a systematic policy aimed at forcibly integrating Serbian institutions into Pristina’s structures.
Specific grounds cited in the indictments, according to the Srpska Lista statement, include:
- displaying Serbian flags and traditional dress
- singing Serbian songs and bearing national symbols
- alleged war crimes
- belonging to Serbian schools and hospitals outside the Pristina system
Belgrade’s response
The Office for Kosovo and Metohija called the arrests a pre-election move by Albin Kurti, repeating itself before every election. Petar Petkovic, the office’s director, warned in Brussels in talks with Peter Sorensen that pressure on Serbs is rising in parallel with the dialogue.
Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are exposed to nearly daily political and institutional pressure from Pristina, and ahead of every election Albin Kurti turns to unilateral and escalatory moves to the detriment of the Serbian people, the official Office for Kosovo and Metohija statement reads.
Demand for EULEX deployment
Srpska Lista in its official statement called for an urgent deployment of EULEX and KFOR units in northern Kosovo to safeguard the security of all citizens. By their assessment, Pristina authorities can no longer alone guarantee the rule of law in parts of the territory with a Serbian majority.
EULEX has in recent months been present alongside Italian carabinieri during Pristina police operations in northern Mitrovica. As of publication, the mission has not made an official statement on the latest arrests.
Tivat as a chance to signal
Belgrade has signalled that Aleksandar Vucic at the Tivat summit on 5 June will raise the protection of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. Sources close to summit preparations say a bilateral with Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, is expected on the margins to discuss concrete EU measures.
Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement, has previously signalled that Pristina’s accession progress depends on the dialogue with Belgrade, which Pristina dismissed as interference in Kosovo’s internal affairs.
Will the new wave of arrests become a turning point before the Tivat summit, or will it be frozen?
