Barac: Even the illusion of a normal life is denied to the Serbian community in Kosovo

Srdjan Barac, a fellow at the Center for Social Stability, stated that Serbs in Kosovo are continuously exposed to open violence, with the clear intent to deny them "even the illusion of coexistence or a normal life."

Barac said that “soft ethnic cleansing” has become a constant in Kosovo.

“In everyday life, the message being sent is that Serbs will not be allowed to live a normal life. A striking example of this is when a graduating student, on what should be a joyful, proud day marking the end of school, an important stage of life, is harassed by the police. That is not a message to him alone, it is a message to all Serbs that even the illusion of a normal life will never be possible in Kosovo and Metohija,” Barac told Kosovo Online.

Commenting on Crisis Group expert Marko Prelec’s claim that “soft ethnic cleansing” of Serbs is taking place in Kosovo, Barac said this has become a constant but that the situation on the ground reveals an effort to implement not soft, but "hard power" – violence.

“‘Soft power’ is when you merely send signals or messages, but I think we have long since left that realm and entered blatant violence – examples of the violation of international law, even of their own laws, and of all the values upheld by the very countries supporting them,” Barac emphasized.

He added that part of the “ethnic cleansing plan” is evident in the gradual denial of rights to Serbs, one by one.

“The ethnic cleansing plan involves removing one right after another from Serbs, in order to prevent any semblance of coexistence or normal life. The shutting down of institutions, police raids in kindergartens and schools... These are all clear signs of what their intentions and goals are, and what the dominant policy is,” Barac specified.

He believes that this is a consistent policy from Pristina.

“Names change, Albin Kurti, Vjosa Osmani... it could be a third or a fifth person, but the essence remains the same. They send one consistent message to the Serbs: ‘We will continue to expel you from this territory,’” the researcher stated.

He believes the solution lies in a shift in the international community’s approach to the problems faced by the Serbian community in Kosovo.

“If the international community truly wanted to, it could act. The first responder should be KFOR, the second EULEX, and only then the Kosovo Police. That would be the first example of the international community truly demonstrating that the content of international agreements, laws, charters, and even the constitutions of those countries will also apply to the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. That would be a starting point for a path to healing,” Barac said.

He added that the opposite is happening on the ground, claiming that the Kosovo Police act without any of the rules that apply to security forces.

“They behave like criminals and in doing so attempt to further intimidate Serbs. And once again, we see the absence of a loud, let alone substantive, reaction from the international community that could bring about meaningful change on the ground,” Barac concluded.