Civil society suspends cooperation with EULEX until they make a statement on Subotic's arrest and beating

A group of civil society organizations from northern Kosovo has condemned the unlawful detention and beating of Serb Milos Subotic by Kosovo police officers and announced a suspension of cooperation with EULEX until the mission issues an evaluation of the actions of police and special forces in the north.

“We strongly condemn the unlawful detention and subsequent beating by Kosovo police officers of Milos Subotic, a respected citizen of North Mitrovica, a father, and a husband. His arrest and beating is yet another example of the illegal actions of the Northern Region officers and highlights the level of unprofessionalism and bias displayed by these supposed representatives of law enforcement toward citizens,” the joint statement from several non-governmental organizations reads.

They emphasize that the continuous silence of EULEX’s local police advisors and the entire mission regarding the pattern of unlawful police actions is unacceptable.

Therefore, they demand that EULEX immediately discontinue the practice of withholding public reports on police performance and make statements on all contentious cases, or otherwise completely halt the alleged monitoring of police work that they claim to be conducting.

“We will issue statements daily until EULEX provides its assessment of police conduct in the case of Milos Subotic. Furthermore, we are halting all forms of cooperation and meetings with this mission until they issue their evaluation of the work of police and special forces in the north,” the statement’s signatory organizations noted.

Simultaneously, they are calling for a broader investigation by the Kosovo Police Inspectorate into the overall performance of the Northern Region – not only in this specific case but in all previous incidents involving Kosovo police officers, whether in uniform or plainclothes.

They have also urged the Ombudsperson to initiate an investigation ex officio into the state of fundamental civil liberties in the northern municipalities of Kosovo.

The joint statement was signed by the NGOs Aktiv, the Center for Affirmative Social Action (CASA), the Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture (ACDC), the Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER), and the New Social Initiative (NSI).