Celic: Systematic discrimination against Serbs in Kosovo with elements of ethnic persecution

Dusko Celic, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of North Mitrovica, stated that Serbs in Kosovo are facing systematic discrimination, which in many aspects can be described as ethnic persecution with elements of apartheid. At the same time, he argues that the "undermining" of the local self-government system in Serb-majority areas has also rendered the importance of the Community of Serb Municipalities meaningless.

Commenting on the statement by Crisis Group expert Marko Prelec that Albin Kurti's policy contains elements of "soft ethnic cleansing" similar to that of Serbs in Croatia, Celic says that a much more appropriate term is apartheid.

"I wouldn't call Albin Kurti's policy a policy of soft cleansing. That’s too mild. It is not about soft ethnic cleansing, this is about systematic discrimination with elements of ethnic persecution, and even elements of apartheid. If institutions in Pristina selectively apply the law depending on whether someone is a Serb or an Albanian, or don’t apply it at all; if there is abuse of institutions such as the police, prosecution, courts; if there are mass violations of property rights, the right to public expression and manifestation, then we can hardly speak of some kind of soft ethnic cleansing. This is a form of very, very open discrimination that increasingly resembles apartheid," Celic told Kosovo Online.

He emphasizes a clear parallel between the position of Serbs in Kosovo after 1999 and that of the Serb community in Croatia after the 1995 war, especially regarding property rights.

"In Croatia, more than 22,000 tenancy rights were taken away from Serbs. A similar pattern exists with regard to the property and housing of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. We now see the same revocation of tenancy rights for double refugees in Lesak and Leposavic. Comparing Croatian legislation with what we could conditionally call the legislation in Pristina, we can see not only similarities but also a kind of logistics in their approach toward Serbs," Celic said.

He adds that political officials in Pristina have never concealed the fact that they have "advisory services in Zagreb," and that this influence is now clearly visible in practice.

When asked how much the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities would improve the status of the Serb community, Celic expressed pessimism.

He points out that the format agreed upon in Brussels no longer holds "the strength and executive powers" that could provide security and peace for Serbs.

"Especially in the context of what Kurti has done in the past two years. He has, through the system, completely undermined local self-government where Serbs are in the majority. He has taken away a significant portion of their powers and abused some of them in such a way that now Albanians, the Albanian majority, are in power in northern local governments. A large number of institutions, if not most, Serb institutions have been shut down. This pressure continues, and it seems to me that even if, theoretically, the Community of Serb Municipalities were to be established at this moment, it would already, we can freely say, be an empty shell," Celic stated.

He sees the solution in finding "substantive autonomy" for the Serb community in Kosovo.

"I think the time has come to find a new mechanism for protecting the collective and individual rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, which would include all elements of substantive autonomy in relation to Pristina. Without that, without autonomous Serbian institutions in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbs will not be able to survive Kurti’s ethnocentric policy, or, I fear, any future government in Pristina either," Celic concluded.