Pristina Seeks Visit to Man Arrested at Batrovci

Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has sent a diplomatic note to the missions of the Quint countries accredited in Serbia over the case of Dukadjin Madjuni, arrested at the Batrovci border crossing. The note was delivered through the Liaison Office in Belgrade, and the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia was also informed of the case.

It is the first official reaction from Pristina’s institutions to the August 12 arrest. The Quint countries are Italy, France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Ministry’s statement laid out what the note requested:

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, through the Liaison Office of the Republic of Kosovo in Serbia, immediately informed the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia and sent a diplomatic note to the missions of the Quint countries accredited in Serbia, with the aim of securing the engagement of international partners in protecting the rights and safety of a citizen of the Republic of Kosovo.”

Madjuni, born in 1979 in the village of Bec near Djakovica, was stopped while entering Serbia from Croatia. He was arrested by officers of the Serbian Interior Ministry’s War Crimes Detection Service. He was held for 48 hours, then brought before the War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office, and a pre-trial judge at the war crimes department of the Belgrade Higher Court ordered his detention for up to 30 days. He is charged with a war crime against the civilian population.

What Pristina Is Asking of the Quint

The note’s goal, according to the statement, is to secure the engagement of international partners in protecting the rights and safety of the man arrested. The Ministry also said that Jetis Jasari, Pristina’s liaison officer in Belgrade, is in constant contact with Madjuni’s family.

The next step is a request for permission to visit the detainee. According to the Ministry’s announcement, the visit is expected to take place next week, and the request will go through the same channel, the Liaison Office.

“The Ministry will, through the Liaison Office, continue to closely follow this case and undertake all necessary diplomatic activities to protect the rights of its citizens.”

What Serbia Has Said

Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic specified that the suspicion concerns events from June 1999.

“There are grounds for suspicion that he committed the stated criminal offense against the civilian population, to the detriment of members of two families, during June 1999 in the village of Bec, Djakovica municipality.”

Serbia’s Interior Ministry (MUP) confirmed the arrest on August 14, without giving the suspect’s full name. The proceedings are still at the investigation stage, and guilt has not been established pending a final verdict. Srpske Novine reported earlier on the arrest at Batrovci itself.

A String of Arrests Over the Past Six Months

The public first learned of the case from lawyer Arijanit Koci, who represents several people from Kosovo arrested in Serbia in recent months. According to him, the family was informed a few hours after the border detention that Madjuni had been transferred to Belgrade.

In early August, the Interior Ministry announced the arrest at Horgos of M. M. (1981), on suspicion of committing a war crime against the civilian population in the village of Klobukar in July 1999. In May, according to Koci, Avdij Memcaj was also arrested.

The arrest of Mithat Lozani in February drew a reaction from the European Union, which stated that under the 2015 Justice Agreement, Serbia had committed not to open criminal investigations or proceedings for alleged war crimes committed in Kosovo unless requested to do so by Kosovo authorities. That provision does not appear explicitly in the publicly available versions of the agreement, and no further clarification of its legal basis has come from Brussels.

The next date in this case will be set by Pristina, not Belgrade: the request to visit the detainee is expected next week. Madjuni’s detention currently runs for up to 30 days.