Office for Kosovo and Metohija: Arrest of Milanovic is an attack on Serbian media workers

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated that the explosion at the Ibar-Lepenac canal served Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti as a pretext for the arrest of several Serbs in northern Kosovo, including Dusan Milanovic, whose detention, as noted, represents an attack on Serbian media workers in Kosovo.

"Kurti's so-called Kosovo Police today unjustifiably and politically motivatedly detained several Serbs from northern Kosovo and Metohija, among them journalist and media worker Dusan Milanovic from Leposavic. He has been placed in 48-hour police custody based on false accusations of administering a Telegram channel, which the Pristina authorities want to use to charge him with terrorism," the statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija reads.

It further adds that the explosion was used by Kurti as an excuse for a new wave of unlawful arrests of Serbs.

"Events related to the Ibar-Lepenac canal were exploited by Kurti for a new series of unlawful arrests of Serbs and reprisals against the Serbian people, allowing him to continue his terror and intimidation. Throughout the day, Kurti's criminal squads broke into the homes of Serbian hosts and families in Zubin Potok, breaking doors and windows, conducting searches with their fingers on the trigger, all under the pretext of an operation concerning the Ibar-Lepenac canal. Due to this display of force, emergency medical services were called as one woman fell ill due to police terror. While most detained Serbs were released during the day due to a lack of evidence connecting them to the alleged act, Kurti needed these arrests to unjustly link them to the incident," the statement reads.

It emphasizes that Milanovic's arrest is an attack on Serbian media workers in Kosovo.

"This is why Milanovic's detention was timed, as he is a respected media worker whose family resides in Leposavic and who has an impeccable career record. However, Kurti is using his detention to instill fear and anxiety among Serbs, sending a message that no one is safe. We will inform all international representatives about Dusan's case, as the attack on Milanovic is indeed an attack on Serbian media workers in Kosovo and Metohija," the Office for Kosovo and Metohija concluded.