Fourth day of protests in Zubin Potok: Families demand that detainees be allowed to defend themselves at liberty

For the fourth consecutive day, families of Serbs arrested on war crimes charges held a protest today in the center of Zubin Potok. The detainees remain in custody, while their families and the assembled residents reiterated their demand that they be allowed to defend themselves at liberty pending trial.

For the fourth day in a row, Danijela Djuric, wife of detained Dalibor Djuric, attended the protest.

“I want to tell everyone following us that we are in a very difficult situation and that I stand by my husband because he is an innocent man. We are going through a very difficult and stressful time, and we simply want it to be established as soon as possible why innocent people were arrested,” Djuric said.

Dalibor Djuric was arrested on September 27, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in an operation code-named “File 23,” during which eight other residents of Zubin Potok were also detained.

Danijela said that more than 50 armed members of special police units entered their family home that day to conduct a search.

“The children were there as well. It was terrible. God forbid anyone should ever experience that,” Danijela said.

She said that detention was extremely difficult for her husband because he was worried about his family.

“We pray to God, and we are grateful to everyone supporting us, that they will be released as soon as possible. We are asking for them to be released and allowed to defend themselves at liberty. Whatever they decide—either release them outright or allow them to defend themselves at liberty—just let them be at home with their children,” Danijela said.

Slavica Lepovic, wife of detained Vukoje Lepovic, said that she had come to the protest to support her husband.

“They came at six in the morning on September 27 and arrested him. He is 70 years old. They mistreated him. I was left alone,” Slavica said.

The families of the detainees hope that their loved ones will be released and allowed to defend themselves at liberty, pointing out that they have always lived in Zubin Potok and have neither fled nor gone anywhere. Slavica also said that Vukoje was in poor health.

“He has high blood pressure and heart problems. Every day they hope they will be released. We would like them either to be released or allowed to defend themselves at liberty—whatever it takes, as long as they come back. He should not end up leaving his bones where they do not belong in his old age,” she stressed.

Following the arrest of her husband Dragan, Stojadinka Djuric was left alone with their daughter, who has developmental disabilities. She says she is barely managing to cope with the situation that has befallen them.

“My daughter and I were left alone in the house. She has been ill since birth and has her condition. I live in the village of Crepulja and bring her to school here; she attends a special school. All the responsibility for looking after her has fallen on me. They took him away even though he is innocent. They did not tell us the reason—why or on what grounds—they simply took him away. They told us, ‘He will tell you why he was taken away.’ It is difficult to deal with all of this—to worry about him, arrange visits and take care of our child. I live alone in the house. It is not easy, but we are fighting as best we can,” Stojadinka said.

She added that all she was asking was for her husband to be released and allowed to defend himself at liberty.

“I just want him to come home to his child. He is very attached to her. He has not been able to speak to her on the phone even once because it is too difficult for him to talk, while she misses him terribly. She is very attached to him. She has medical treatment ahead of her—she needs prosthetic devices and further surgery on her palate. I am not able to manage all of that by myself, to take her there and care for her. I just want him to be released, to come home to his child, and for us to live as we did before. He was an honest, hardworking man. They took him away even though he is innocent, and we do not know why they took him,” Stojadinka Djuric said.

On September 27, in the early morning hours, Kosovo Police arrested nine people in Zubin Potok on suspicion of committing a “war crime against the civilian population.”

Kosovo Police and the Special Prosecution subsequently said that, as part of investigative measures related to a war crimes case, the War Crimes Investigation Directorate, supported by other specialized police units, had carried out an operation code-named “File 23” in the municipality of Zubin Potok, acting on the orders of the Kosovo Special Prosecution.