Minister Dejan Ristic denied entry to Kosovo

The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications announced that the authorities in Pristina last night prohibited Minister Dejan Ristic from entering the territory of Kosovo, where he was scheduled to attend a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the weekly newspaper ‘Jedinstvo’.

According to the statement, the minister’s planned visit to Kosovo was to attend the celebration of the 80th anniversary of ‘Jedinstvo’, the only Serbian-language printed media outlet in Kosovo. The event is being held today at the Cultural Center in Gracanica.

"Although the visit was duly announced in accordance with established procedures, the minister's entry to Kosovo was prohibited one hour before the scheduled time for crossing the administrative line," the statement added.

The ministry also notes that this was not the first instance of unpleasant treatment that the Pristina authorities had directed at Minister Ristic.

"On July 29, 2021, while visiting the territory of Kosovo as the Director of the Museum of Genocide Victims, Minister Ristic was intercepted by the Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs on the Pec–Decani highway. His vehicle was stopped, and he was taken to the police station in Decani, where he was interrogated. By obstructing his freedom of movement and detaining the director of a national cultural institution, the Pristina authorities demonstrated a willingness to resort to the most extreme unlawful actions. This time, they have gone even further in their undemocratic conduct," the statement said.

The ministry adds that the denial of entry and presence in Kosovo to the minister responsible for public information, who intended to attend the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the only Serbian-language printed media outlet in Kosovo, is yet another overt example of violating the rights to free movement, freedom of public information, and freedom of expression for the Serbian community in Kosovo.

"By continually obstructing or preventing the smooth functioning of Serbian-language public information channels and jeopardizing the safety of Serbian journalists in Kosovo, the institutions in Pristina once again reveal their fundamentally undemocratic and discriminatory nature," the statement continued.

In response, the ministry expressed concern and regret over the irresponsible actions of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina and called on the international community to firmly condemn this anti-democratic decision.

Although forcibly prevented from attending today's celebration of ‘Jedinstvo's’ significant anniversary in Gracanica, Minister Ristic sent a message to the editorial team and all readers of this esteemed publication.

“Over the past eight decades, the public news organization ‘Panorama–Jedinstvo’ has played a crucial role in timely reporting, as well as preserving the Cyrillic script, cultural heritage, and national identity of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. Despite numerous challenges, you have demonstrated perseverance, determination, and dedication to your noble mission. Every issue of your newspaper serves as a bridge connecting our people with their roots, history, and traditions. The citizens of the Republic of Serbia are proud of your work. The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications will continue to provide unwavering support aimed at increasing funding and modernizing the equipment of the ‘Panorama–Jedinstvo’ publishing enterprise, recognizing its immeasurable importance in preserving the cultural identity of the Serbian people in our southern province. Once again, I congratulate you on this exceptional milestone with the sincere hope that you remain a strong voice for the Serbian people, a guardian of our identity, and an exemplar of professionalism and dedication for decades to come. Your resilience and professionalism affirm that committed work in the public interest, safeguarding and promoting truth, rights, culture, and identity, cannot be hindered. The Ministry is determined to provide absolute support to ensure that the truth reaches everyone, including the international community. Your work is not merely a professional endeavor but a unique mission of profound value,” the minister emphasized.

The minister also highlighted in his message that the Jedinstvo editorial team is among the most endangered in Europe but continues to remain committed to truth and has always advocated dialogue, understanding, coexistence, and opposed hatred and all forms of violence.

He further reminded of the words of Serbian Patriarch Pavle, who taught that every human being, regardless of circumstances and challenges, always has a choice.

“Even when told there is no choice, they are not telling the truth. That is what cowards say. There is always a choice. The ‘Jedinstvo’ editorial team has always made the right choices, and it is no surprise that among our media outlets, one of the most consistent and energetic is the team behind Jedinstvo. This realization inspires and motivates us all to act even more decisively in the public interest. This is significant because we are presented with a choice between the arguments of force and the force of arguments. By denying me the opportunity to share in the joy of Jedinstvo’s grand anniversary today, the Pristina side once again demonstrates its readiness to use the arguments of force, a strategy that is legitimate but doomed to fail, as any reasonable being knows. On our part, we must remain devoted to the force of arguments, historical and all other truths, always staying open to others, never showing hatred, never succumbing to challenges, finding strength within ourselves and our community, and embracing ‘Jedinstvo’ as not just another printed media outlet in Serbia, but as a unique weekly that is much more than a public publication. ‘Jedinstvo’ has been and continues to be a source of timely, objective, and comprehensive information, as well as a historical testament to the lives of Serbs and other communities in Kosovo and Metohija,” the minister stated.

He reiterated that ‘Jedinstvo’ is a treasure trove of information and a source of truth that documents the lives and trials faced by the Serbian people over the past 80 years, challenges they, unfortunately, continue to encounter today, perhaps even more so than in previous years.

“On the other hand, when you flip through the pages of ‘Jedinstvo’ and see the challenges faced over the past 80 years and how our ancestors overcame them, there is no choice but to be worthy of them and to demonstrate equal, if not greater, strength, determination, and perseverance to uphold our ancestral and identity-related ties to Kosovo and Metohija. As long as even one Serb exists, even in some distant perspective, Kosovo and Metohija will always be Serbian,” Ristic concluded.