Garages in North Mitrovica owned by Serbs demolished, municipal inspection did not approve the demolition

Shortly before 7 a.m. this morning, the demolition of garages owned by Serbs near the detention center in North Mitrovica began. The municipal inspection did not approve the demolition. Workers, trucks, and excavators secured by the Kosovo police are still present at the site.

The police had previously placed yellow tape yesterday and announced the demolition of these structures. The reason given for the demolition was the security of the detention center.

However, private buildings located right next to the prison fence are not subject to demolition.

The demolition is being monitored by Carabinieri and EULEX. Also present at the scene is the head of operations of the Kosovo Police for the North region, Petrit Fejza, who did not want to make statements to the media.

A municipal inspector of North Mitrovica, Veljko Orlovic, who is responsible for demolition matters, also arrived. However, the municipal inspection did not approve the demolition.

The land on which the now-demolished structures were located belongs to the company Trepca South.

These are garages whose owners were issued demolition warnings by Trepca South in February and again in March, claiming that their structures are located on land belonging to the company.

The owners, on the other hand, claim that they have all the necessary documentation for these structures.

“We were at the police, we submitted the documents, everyone here has documentation. These garages have been here for 62 years, some have papers from 1987, some from the 1960s… we all have documents,” Nemanja Jovic, the owner of one of the garages, told Kosovo Online last night after coming to his property when the police placed yellow tape.