Office for Kosovo and Metohija: Kurti continues escalatory moves, international organizations must stop the persecution of Serbs

The authorities in Pristina continue with unilateral and unlawful actions and provocations directed at the Serbian people in Kosovo—even on the major Orthodox holiday of Ascension Day—stated the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

"A large number of members of the so-called Kosovo police arrived today in Priluzje to seize the premises previously used by Serbia's postal service, which was unlawfully shut down in January, and have now moved in the so-called postal service from Pristina. At the same time, Pristina is prohibiting work on a structure located in the churchyard in Zubin Potok, a facility that was of great importance to the local residents. These are clear provocations by Pristina aimed at disturbing the Serbian population and enabling Kurti to continue with escalatory steps designed to create unlivable conditions for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija," the statement reads.

"With the same goal, the so-called Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports from Pristina has banned construction work on a summer pavilion in the courtyard of the Church of Saint Anne in the village of Gornji Strmac in Zubin Potok, which was intended as a gathering place for locals after liturgy and prayer. The works were halted, and the notice was posted exclusively in Albanian in a predominantly Serbian area. It is high time that Kurti’s intentions to expel the Serbs are taken seriously, and that representatives of international organizations clearly condemn and take concrete actions to halt Kurti’s institutional violence and attempts to expel Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija," the Office emphasized.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija stressed that it will persistently draw attention to Pristina’s unlawful and unilateral actions to all international actors.

"Through diplomatic channels, we will insist on the protection of Serbian property and the provision of basic human rights for our people in Kosovo and Metohija, rights that Pristina persistently violates," the Office for Kosovo and Metohija concluded.