Protest over Serb arrest in Mitrovica
Around a thousand people protested in Kosovska Mitrovica on Wednesday over the arrest of Serb Ivan Radulovic, an employee of the District of Kosovska Mitrovica, who was detained by EULEX last weekend.
(KosovoCompromiseStuff) Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Radulovic was arrested on Sunday at the Jarinje administrative crossing in northern Kosovo on the suspicion that he stole cars in 2000, and was released the following day.
Srdjan Mikic, also an employee of the District of Kosovska Mitrovica, said at the protest that the latest arrests in northern Kosovo, including Radulovic's, were aimed at intimidating Serbs and sowing distrust so that they would "renounce our country and accept the Pristina institutions."
Mrkic said Radulovic was arrested only because he worked for Serbian state institution.
"Serbian institutions are the target and by arresting our coworker, EULEX wants to let us know that all of us who recognize Belgrade institutions as the only legal and legitimate ones can expect something like this to happen to us any time, any place," said Mrkic.
Mitrovica Deputy Mayor Momir Kasalovic believes the goal of the recent arrests at administrative checkpoints in northern Kosovo is to prosecute and intimidate as many Serbs as possible so that they will leave the province for good.
"We call on the government in Belgrade to put an end to any talks with Pristina because they benefit only Albanians and not Serbs, and legitimize Kosovo-Metohija as a separate state more and more. We urge the government to leave the talks despite pressures from the West and regardless of any conditions related to Schengen visas or something bigger," said Kasalovic.
He said Kosovo Serbs were being arrested on a daily basis by the Kosovo police because they did not posses documents of the self-proclaims state of Kosovo.
Protesters also sent a message to EULEX that the latest arrests were a continuation of an intimidation campaign against the remaining Serbs in Kosovo, and complained that EULEX had put itself squarely in Pristina's corner and was enforcing its unilateral decisions aimed at establishing a border with Serbia.
Srdjan Mikic, also an employee of the District of Kosovska Mitrovica, said at the protest that the latest arrests in northern Kosovo, including Radulovic's, were aimed at intimidating Serbs and sowing distrust so that they would "renounce our country and accept the Pristina institutions."
Mrkic said Radulovic was arrested only because he worked for Serbian state institution.
"Serbian institutions are the target and by arresting our coworker, EULEX wants to let us know that all of us who recognize Belgrade institutions as the only legal and legitimate ones can expect something like this to happen to us any time, any place," said Mrkic.
Mitrovica Deputy Mayor Momir Kasalovic believes the goal of the recent arrests at administrative checkpoints in northern Kosovo is to prosecute and intimidate as many Serbs as possible so that they will leave the province for good.
"We call on the government in Belgrade to put an end to any talks with Pristina because they benefit only Albanians and not Serbs, and legitimize Kosovo-Metohija as a separate state more and more. We urge the government to leave the talks despite pressures from the West and regardless of any conditions related to Schengen visas or something bigger," said Kasalovic.
He said Kosovo Serbs were being arrested on a daily basis by the Kosovo police because they did not posses documents of the self-proclaims state of Kosovo.
Protesters also sent a message to EULEX that the latest arrests were a continuation of an intimidation campaign against the remaining Serbs in Kosovo, and complained that EULEX had put itself squarely in Pristina's corner and was enforcing its unilateral decisions aimed at establishing a border with Serbia.
