Jevtic: Attack on Raskovic – a picture of what Serbs face today in Kosovo, situation is not such that KFOR could decide to withdraw from the Ibar bridge

Deputy President of the Serb List Dalibor Jevtic said that Serbs in Kosovo are being beaten and that what happened to Nenad Raskovic from Dren, who was subjected to brutality by the Kosovo Police, is a picture of what Serbs face today in Kosovo.

Speaking to RTS, Jevtic warned that what is stated in official reports on the security situation in Kosovo is completely different from the reality on the ground for Serbs.

“International missions speak of a good security situation, but Serbs are paying for it with their lives. Serbs are being beaten, like Nenad Raskovic. What happened to Raskovic is a picture of what Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija face today. The security situation is not such that KFOR could decide to withdraw from the bridge over the Ibar and from the area in front of Visoki Decani. We will continue to demonstrate this, and responsibility lies with those who make such decisions, in terms of the consequences of those decisions,” Jevtic said.

Regarding cases of attacks that Serbs in Kosovo do not report, Jevtic said this reflects their lack of trust in the institutions.

“Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija have no confidence in the police. This is particularly clear in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, where Serbs are subjected to terror, violence and institutional violence aimed at expelling Serbs from these areas. I want to remind you of a statement Albin Kurti made in Brussels, when several years ago he said in front of journalists that Serbs would suffer and pay the price. That is exactly what is happening now. When we warned representatives of the international community about that statement, they viewed it differently. There is a lack of trust. Kurti is known for using violence through his actions,” Jevtic stressed.

According to him, Pristina's official statistics on ethnically motivated attacks do not reflect the actual situation on the ground.

“As many as 800 ethnically motivated attacks against Serbs have not been recorded in reports that are supposed to reflect the situation on the ground. We do not want to give up, we will continue to fight. We will not give up on living in these areas. The Serbian response is peaceful and democratic. We will stay and endure. We see the support of the Serbian state, and the presence and support of the Serbian Orthodox Church means a great deal to us. Regardless of everything that is happening, and despite Kurti's goal of displacing Serbs, we will not give up on living in these areas. Our message to Kurti is: you will not succeed in driving us out,” Jevtic said.

Regarding the anniversary of the crime in Gorazdevac, Jevtic said he feels a sense of injustice.

“That crime went unpunished. We see it as a consequence of the impunity for previous crimes that took place, such as the crime in Staro Gracko. It is a consequence of the failure to punish those responsible for what happened in Livadice and Cernica, but also a consequence of the silence of the international community, which came here to ensure peace,” the deputy president of the Serb List said.

Asked how realistic it is to expect investigations to be reopened, Jevtic said they would insist on it.

“We must get answers as to who committed these crimes. The perpetrators must be punished and justice must be served. It is a major failure of the international community that they have not found the killers and brought the perpetrators to justice. Even today, Serbs are being arrested without evidence, detained and held in Pristina's prisons simply because they are Serbs. This creates the difficult situation in which the Serbian people in Kosovo find themselves,” Jevtic said.