Pantovic: Stricter actions by judicial authorities after last year's events in Zvecan, people are afraid

It has been exactly a year since the unfortunate events in front of the Zvecan municipal building, where three Serbs were seriously injured, along with about 30 KFOR personnel. Lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic states that since then, courts and prosecutors have been visibly stricter, not only towards the suspects involved in the Zvecan incidents but also for events from May last year in Leposavic and Zubin Potok.

"Prosecutors and courts, without Serbian prosecutors and judges, have become significantly stricter. People have even been unjustly convicted and detained, which would not happen under normal circumstances," Pantovic told Kosovo Online.

To recall, on May 29, 2023, citizens gathered at the municipal building in Zvecan, where KFOR forces were stationed. They demanded the withdrawal of the special Kosovo police from the building and the removal of Mayor Ilir Peci, who was elected in boycotted elections with a turnout of just 2.92% in this municipality. The peaceful protest turned into unrest when stun grenades exploded, KFOR used tear gas, and the Kosovo Police used firearms.

A year later, lawyer Pantovic says that people are scared and that their fear is justified because several individuals, just for being present at the municipal building in Zvecan during the unrest, were arrested and detained and now face criminal proceedings.

"There are no criteria or reliable evidence, and people are afraid that they might face the same fate – to be arrested, detained for months, and put on trial. We see that some people have left Mitrovica out of fear. The indictments are not formally hidden, but behind the scenes, the prosecution and police are digging through video material, gathering certain witnesses, and seeking information, and it happens that someone gets arrested. There are no secret, hidden indictments in the true sense of the word, but they are still digging through the events of May 2023 related to Zvecan, Leposavic, and Zubin Potok," Pantovic said.

As an illustrative example of how things are handled, he cites a case where a person was detained for a month and a half for swearing at someone in front of the Leposavic municipality, and the prosecution sought to extend the detention even after the indictment was filed.

"It was just ordinary swearing and a minor public order offense. There are more such cases. Judicial authorities have significantly tightened their criteria for action. Whether this is based on some instruction from a center in Pristina or not, we don't know, but that is what happened," Pantovic said.