Citizens' Initiative Srpska condemns arrest of Kosovo Serbs

On Thursday, the Kosovo police detained in Partes three people working at Serb institutions, who were on a visit to a social benefit claimant, the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo announced, saying that this detention constitutes the intimidation of Serbs ahead of local elections in the province on November 3. The arrestees are Zivorad Jovanovic, a worker at the Kosovo Morava River Basin District, Vitomirka Gavrilovic, a worker at the Centre for Social Work, Nenad Stojkovic, a worker at the municipality of Gnjilane. As noted in the release that "Srpska" issued on Thursday, the court in Gnjilane ordered that Jovanovic and Stojkovic be put in detention for up to 30 days, and Gavrilovic under house arrest for a month. The Citizens' Initiative "Srpska", whose electoral list received the backing of the Serbian government, urged the international community, primarily EULEX, to react strongly and do everything in their power to ensure that the innocent Serbs be released. The arrest and detention of Serbs from Partes "based on unproven, insinuated and fabricated accusations in the electoral campaign" shows that fear and panic got a hold on a part of the Albanian leadership in Kosovo that Serbs would win as they believe in themselves and the state of Serbia. "Srpska" calls on all Serbs in Kosovo not to succumb to the pressure, blackmail and false rhetoric of those opposing local elections in Kosovo-Metohija, but to show confidently and proudly that the state of Serbia is dear to their heart, and to vote for themselves, their children and future and the Srpska list on November 3.