Kosovo police arrests Serb workers in Partes

Zivorad Jovanovic, who works in the Kosovo-Pomoravlje District, Vitomirka Gavrilovic, employee of a center for social work, and Nenad Stojkovic, employee in the municipality of Gnjilane, were ordered to be placed in detention for 48 hours. The Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo condemned the detention of the workers and demanded that they be released immediately. The Office for Kosovo stressed that the detention of the Serb workers is yet another provocation and intimidation of the Serb population ahead of the November 3 local elections. The Office for Kosovo urged the OSCE to react and to enable the Serbs, as well as all the other citizens of Kosovo, to vote in the local elections without fear. "We demand an end to violence against people who are employed in Serbian institutions in the Province, and who are carrying out their tasks diligently and honestly," the Office for Kosovo said in a release. The Citizens’ Initiative ‘Srpska’ said that the arrest of the employees of Serb institutions only shows that the pressure is mounting increasingly on the Serbs before the local elections. “This act by the (Kosovo) police confirms our suspicions that the idea of the formation of the Community of Serb municipalities and the unity of Serbs really bothers certain people who hide behind these extremely undemocratic actions,” the statement said. Such acts are intimidating citizens and also candidates on our electoral list, the Citizens’ Initiative ‘Srpska’ added. “The (Kosovo) police is harassing our candidates for mayors and councilors and Serbian institutions’ staff without explanation,” ‘Srpska’ stressed and called on the international community to react urgently.