House arrest for Serbian school principals, teachers protest
Two principals of primary schools in Kosovska Kamenica have been placed under house arrest, while staff at Serbian schools across Kosovo Pomoravlje walked out in protest. The Serb List links the detentions to a complaint over election manipulation.
- Two principals of Serbian primary schools in Kosovska Kamenica were placed under house arrest on June 13.
- Initial police detention lasted 48 hours before the measure was ordered.
- Staff at Serbian primary and secondary schools across Kosovo Pomoravlje went on protest.
- The Serb List links the detentions to a complaint alleging election manipulation.
Pressure on Serbian institutions in Kosovo and Metohija has taken on a new, judicial form. On June 13, Kosovo’s judiciary placed Negovan Vasic, principal of the Bratstvo primary school in the village of Strezovce, and Dragan Krstic, principal of the Desanka Maksimovic primary school in Kosovska Kamenica, under house arrest with an obligation to report regularly to the police. The two men had previously been held for 48 hours, and the detentions were preceded by special police raids on homes and schools.
In its reasoning, the Kosovo police cite suspicion of illegal possession of weapons, as well as concealing or destroying archival records. The Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija argues the opposite, saying the principals were detained for political reasons and that special units have no business inside Serbian schools. “Kurti’s police have no business in Serbian schools, nor do they have any jurisdiction there”, the office said in its response.
Why are the detentions tied to the elections?
The Serb List connects the detention of the two principals to a complaint that Vasic, acting as the manager of a polling station, filed with the election commission over suspected vote manipulation. By that account, a measure taken against a man who publicly flagged irregularities in the voting does not look like a coincidence, but rather a response to his complaint. For now, Pristina has offered no evidence linking the claims about weapons and archives to specific actions by the two educators.
It is important to separate what is known from any judgment of motive. Vasic and Krstic are for now classed as detained; they have not been convicted in a final ruling, and no indictment has been brought that could be described as established. The Kosovo police state a suspicion, the Serbian side offers a political assessment, and only court proceedings, if there are any, would show which of the claims can withstand scrutiny. Until then, the fact remains that two men who run schools have ended up under house arrest amid pre-election tensions.
How did the teachers respond?
Following the arrest of the principals, staff at Serbian primary and secondary schools across Kosovo Pomoravlje went on protest. Teachers and other employees voiced solidarity with their colleagues and demanded a review of the measure, arguing that pressure on school leaders also harms the educational process in an environment where Serbian institutions already operate under difficult conditions.
The detention of the principals is not an isolated case. In recent weeks there have been raids on Serbian clinics, the seizure of railway stations, and detentions in other municipalities, so this episode fits into the broader question of how the Serbian community in Kosovo functions under constant pressure from Pristina’s institutions. Belgrade responds with statements and condemnations, but the people on the ground, from principals under house arrest to teachers on protest, are left waiting for the outcome of the process.
Will the measure against the two principals remain a paper claim of suspicion, or will Kosovo’s judiciary present evidence in court, and what does that mean for the Serbian community’s trust in the electoral process in which Vasic flagged irregularities?
