Office for Kosovo and Metohija: Pristina continues pressure on Serbs in Zubin Potok

The Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated that the detention of five Serbs from Zubin Potok for questioning in Pristina is another act of repression against the Serbian population in that municipality.

The statement says that, after questioning that lasted until late at night, three of those detained from the village of Crepulja were released, while two Serbs, M.J. from the village of Donji Jasenovik and M.B. from the village of Kaludra, remain in custody on allegations of war crimes.

Representatives of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija are on the ground and are in contact with their families.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija said this represents another act of pressure by the authorities in Pristina against Serbs in the municipality of Zubin Potok, which, they claim, followed the unlawful demolition of Serbian cottages at Lake Gazivode.

“Kurti’s regime continues its policy of terror, retaliation against Serbs, and intimidation through violent actions as well as arbitrary arrests of local residents who have lived peacefully on their own property for years,” the statement said.

It added that such actions further increase tensions in Serbian communities and create a sense of insecurity and fear among the Serbian population.

“These baseless actions further unsettle Serbian communities and create a sense of insecurity and fear among the Serbian people, which is precisely the goal of the regime in Pristina, which lacks political legitimacy and seeks to strengthen its position through the oppression of the Serbian people,” the statement concluded.

Earlier, the Kosovo Police announced that two Serbs had been arrested in Zubin Potok on suspicion of committing war crimes against the Albanian civilian population during the 1999 conflict in Kosovo and that they had been placed in detention.