Mayor of Klokot Vladan Bogdanovic detained without explanation at Bela Zemlja crossing

The Mayor of Klokot, Vladan Bogdanovic, was detained early this morning for over two hours without any apparent reason at the administrative crossing Bela Zemlja, located between Gnjilane and Bujanovac. Bogdanovic told Euronews that he does not understand why he was detained and that no explanation was given to him.

“This morning I was detained at the Bela Zemlja crossing. I was heading from Klokot to Nis at 5:40 a.m. I had a scheduled cardiologist appointment in Nis, and we arrived at the crossing around 6:00. I was driving, and my driver Srdjan Rakic was with me. I handed over my documents, and then the police officers came out and detained me. They grabbed my arms and took me to the barracks at the crossing. I stood there for about two and a half hours without any explanation, waiting for some other officers to arrive,” he said.

He explained that later, plainclothes officers wearing vests marked “police” arrived, put him into a vehicle, and drove him toward Gnjilane.

“When I asked why I was being taken and where, they told me I was going for questioning, that I needed to give a statement and would then be released. However, on the way, they received a call, got out of the car, and had a conversation. After about twenty minutes, they told me I could return and continue my journey to Serbia. Without any explanation or warrant, they took my phone and documents. I was sitting in their vehicle while they made phone calls, and eventually they let me go,” he added.

He also said the police know exactly who he is and that the translator who arrived with the plainclothes officers stated he knew Bogdanovic to be a decent person and was surprised by his detention.

“They know I’m the mayor. They returned my documents and phone, escorted me to the crossing, and let me pass ahead of the line. I’m currently in Serbia, and that’s it. I’m the mayor of the municipality and can be found in Klokot. I was at work last week. If there were a reason to detain me, they could’ve come to my office or home. This is not the way to stop someone and hold them for two and a half hours. I was in a hurry this morning to get lab work done and go to my appointment, but they still held me up,” Bogdanovic said.

In the past two days, five Serbian police officers living in Kosovo Pomoravlje have reportedly been denied entry into Kosovo and prevented from returning home and to their families after completing duty.