Baraliu: A neutral international commission is needed to uncover the truth about the events in Banjska

To uncover the truth about the events in Banjska, a neutral international commission is needed, which, with the assistance of KFOR and EULEX, would gather credible data, Mazllum Baraliu, a professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Pristina, stated for Kosovo Online. He added that Belgrade and Pristina lacked the necessary equipment and mutual trust to conduct an investigation on their own.

"It is necessary to establish an international commission that would encompass all possible investigative actions both in Kosovo and in Serbia and to utilize the international presence here – KFOR, EULEX, and embassies that have their own sources of information. Therefore, a joint commission and joint efforts are needed. It doesn't necessarily have to be formally legally established, but all possible attempts and investigative actions should be combined to get a true and accurate picture of what happened that day in Banjska," Baraliu said.

Recently, UK parliament member and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns, stated that an investigation into the events in Banjska since September 24 was being led by a foreign state, without specifying which country she was referring to. Baraliu believes that the investigation should involve "joint forces," though he does not rule out the possibility of a neutral state taking over the investigation.

"If, eventually, by the decision of the EU or some institution, it is decided that it should be an independent commission from a credible democratic tradition and democratic institutions, such as Austria, which would be neutral regarding everything that happened and would try to find out everything that happened credibly, authentically, and truthfully, then there is nothing controversial about that, but it would be best if all forces come together," Baraliu stated.

He emphasizes that Belgrade and Pristina cannot conduct the investigation on their own due to a lack of equipment and also because of mutual distrust.

"Given the lack of trust between Kosovo and Serbia and the fact that the technical and technological level has not been developed, as well as the technologies, apparatus, and instruments that would be used to conduct an investigation following international laws and the laws of Kosovo and Serbia, then I think it must be an international commission, international presence that can neutrally lead all actions and investigations and arrive at a credible investigation," Baraliu concluded.