Marinkovic: Serbs from the North view the Kosovo Police as a tool for punishment

Serbs from the North view the Kosovo Police as a tool for punishment, pointed out Miodrag Marinkovic, Executive Director of the NGO CASA, adding that there is a noticeable decline in trust in international institutions. CASA today presented three documents within the framework of the project "Reflecting the interests of Kosovo Serbs in order to formulate proposals for practical policies for a multiethnic Kosovo," which highlight the key challenges faced by the Serbian community.

Marinkovic emphasized that the main angle of the documents is the perspective of the citizens, who must be at the center.

"The study started as an overview of the North of Kosovo, but due to the crisis and limitations, we decided to narrow it down to just the North and focus on the Kosovo Police. We are all aware of the context—there is a crisis in the North, the Banjska attack, arrests, conflicts... Therefore, it is necessary for the citizens to be at the center," said Marinkovic.

He also noted that Serbs from the North of Kosovo view the Kosovo Police as a "tool for punishment."

"Law enforcement, selective use of force, many complaints about excessive use of force. Citizens' perception is an important factor, and they say they see the police as a tool for punishment. We believe that there are many cases that have not been reported because citizens are very reluctant to report these cases. We believe the number of such cases is significantly higher than what has been reported," said Marinkovic.

He pointed out that there is a low level of trust among Serbs towards the police, EULEX, and KFOR.

"Because of this, there is a decline in trust in international institutions that have not taken action in Kosovo. The Kosovo Police is a key factor in creating insecurity in the North. Serbs in the North are confronted with what is in their interest or what Belgrade or the Serbian List advocates," said Marinkovic.

Boban Simic, Program Director of the NGO, stated that one of the recommendations regarding the protection of cultural heritage is military presence, which was replaced by the Kosovo Police in 2009.

"The focus is to assess the state and protection of Serbian cultural heritage and to identify the challenges in resolving the conflict through protection assessment. When talking about the legal framework, the three laws and recommendations we considered are the Ahtisaari Plan, as it is the key element of cultural heritage, through which trust should be increased. Later, we placed it in the context of the Law on the Special Protection of Cultural Heritage. One of the recommendations regarding cultural heritage protection is military presence, which was replaced by the Kosovo Police in 2009. All these issues were included in the Law on Special Protective Zones, which in 2008 established 45 zones for monasteries, monuments, and churches with integrity protection zones. The goal of setting up the protection zone is to ensure survival and to protect its historical characteristics, and to prevent any development, misuse, or pollution," explained Simic.

Tijana Grujic, Deputy Program Director of CASA, pointed out that Serbs and members of other communities face challenges when trying to obtain personal documents, adding that "Kosovo citizenship is the main problem."

"Access to personal documents is a prerequisite for accessing other documents. Denying legal identity is a direct violation of human rights. Also, the problem with personal IDs is that Kosovo citizenship is required. However, everyone born in 1998 was a citizen of the former Yugoslavia, and they will be registered as such, regardless of where they are. If the law were implemented, we wouldn't have people without personal ID cards," said Grujic.

Grujic stated that every fourth respondent believes their rights are being denied because they have no access to documents.

"These are large percentages, which affect employment, travel, and the ability to take out loans... Language barriers are present south of the Ibar, somewhat less in the north. There is also discrimination, the incompetence of officials. The practice of civil registries is to interpret the law differently, thus directing citizens to verify the procedure for applying for citizenship... Members of the Serbian community feel discriminated against, but discrimination is also faced by Roma, Egyptians, and Ashkali," said Grujic, also noting that Serbs are not informed that they can obtain documents through electronic forms.

She added that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina must be based on the needs of the people, acknowledging the legacy of problems between Serbs and Albanians.

The project of this NGO was supported by the British Embassy in Pristina. Ambassador Jonathan Hargreaves pointed out that the project is important because it sends strong messages to all those involved in the dialogue – to the Government of Kosovo, and to Belgrade.

As he mentioned, during his nearly one year of service in Kosovo, he has visited the North multiple times, where he met many people, and among the things that struck him during conversations with citizens, was primarily how, as he said, "tight they feel due to pressure."

"Many people don't know how to function between two systems... This is one of the reasons why this study is important. It is here to help resolve these issues. We know that there are pressures coming from Belgrade and from people working for Belgrade, but we also know that there is much the Government of Kosovo can do to ease the lives of Kosovo Serbs, to make them feel welcome, to make this their home. I think this study contributes to promoting that idea," said Hargreaves.

He also pointed out that a new phase of dialogue is starting with EU mediation, which, he emphasizes, is more urgent than ever.

"Not only for the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia, but due to the pressure for this place to be part of the solution. It is important to find a way to move forward in the dialogue as soon as possible. In this study, we have strong messages for those involved in the dialogue, for the Government of Kosovo, for Belgrade," added Hargreaves.