Petkovic: There is no rule of law for Serbs in Kosovo, judicial system directed against them

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, emphasized that there is no rule of law for Serbs in Kosovo, but rather that the judicial system is directed against them, and that the decision to detain the directors of Serbian educational and healthcare institutions was made without any evidence. He stressed that the arrest of the directors is a clear indication that Serbs should vote for the Serb List, which has the support of Belgrade and is the only guardian of Serbian national interests.

“The 30-day detention ordered for our directors of educational and healthcare institutions in Kosovo and Metohija was imposed on the direct orders of Albin Kurti and with the wholehearted assistance of Nenad Rasic, Kurti’s servant and traitor, who will be remembered among the Serbian people as someone who brought Kurti’s police into Serbian institutions and participated in the arrest of Serbs,” Petkovic told RTS.

He pointed out that nowhere in the world do people end up in prison because of administrative regulations and dismissals handed to several employees solely for violating workplace rules, especially considering that Pristina and Kurti have no jurisdiction whatsoever over the Serbian healthcare and educational system, which falls under the authority of Serbia.

He said this is evidence of the nervousness of Kurti and Rasic, who have now “gone all out” against Serbian healthcare and educational institutions for three reasons.

“First, Kurti did this in an attempt to finish what he failed to do on March 15, when together with the EU we managed to find a solution for the uninterrupted functioning of Serbian institutions. Second, this is Kurti’s attempt to remove the Serb List, which is the pillar of the defense of Serbian interests in Kosovo and Metohija. And third, it is an attempt to intimidate the Serbian people, as well as an attempt to help Rasic gain some Serbian votes. And if he fails at that, Kurti will give him Albanian votes from places from which Serbs were ethnically cleansed,” Petkovic explained.

He said it must be understood that there is no rule of law for Serbs in Kosovo and that the judicial system is directed against the Serbian people.

“We are doing everything we can under impossible conditions to help our people survive,” Petkovic stressed.

He pointed out that Rasic and Kurti are no longer hiding their intentions, which is proven by the fact that no evidence whatsoever was presented during the detention hearing for the seven directors, not even dismissal decisions.

“Everything is based on insinuations. This clearly shows that the detention decision was made on orders, so they could be kept in prison until after the elections. That is what Kurti is doing. He is trying in every possible way to strike at the Serbian people and everything Serbian, because he has nothing to offer citizens, no new jobs, no salary or pension increases. The only thing he does is attack Serbs,” the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija explained.

Asked how difficult it would be for the Serb List to win votes in such an atmosphere, Petkovic said that what happened with the arrest of the directors is itself a clear indication that Serbs should vote exclusively for the Serb List, which alone has the full support of official Belgrade and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

“The victory of the Serb List guarantees the continuation of Serbia’s support for our people in Kosovo and Metohija,” Petkovic said.

He added that Kurti’s statement about concern for the condition of Serbian institutions is hypocritical, reminding that he wanted - and still intends - to shut them down. According to Petkovic, this is also Nenad Rasic’s intention.

“The Serb List is the only guardian of Serbian national interests, the umbilical cord preserving the connection between the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija and Belgrade and central Serbia. We must do everything we can politically for the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, to show once and for all where Nenad Rasic belongs, and his place is in the political garbage dump of history, because he did everything to be Kurti’s servant and he arrested Serbs. That is unacceptable,” Petkovic stressed.

He repeated that all those who participated in and contributed to the arrest of the directors in Gracanica would be prosecuted in accordance with Serbian laws.

Petkovic also stressed that it is important for the Serb List to win all 10 mandates reserved for the Serbian community, because those seats must belong to those who genuinely fight for the interests of the Serbian people.

“And that is not Rasic, who won 300 or 400 votes in Djakovica, who votes at sessions in Pristina for some museum that is supposed to speak about Serbia’s alleged genocide in Kosovo, and allows special forces to carry out terror in the north. That is what Rasic does, and the Serbs know it very well,” Petkovic said, adding that in Dobrotin, where Rasic lives, the Serb List defeated him.

Asked where the international community is these days, Petkovic said there is not a day that he is not in contact with representatives of the international community.

“Sometimes they remain silent, sometimes they are ashamed because of Kurti’s trampling of human rights, but so-called Kosovo is a child of the West, and whatever Kurti does, they turn a blind eye. They say he is stubborn and acts on his own, but many actually approve of what he is doing,” Petkovic noted.

Announcement of the Gendarmerie formation an attempt at compensation because the KSF cannot go to the North

Petkovic sees the announcement from Pristina regarding the formation of a gendarmerie as an attempt to say at the start of the election campaign: “Here we are, forming a new structure that will further oppress the Serbian people.”

He warned that although Kurti announced that the gendarmerie should be deployed along the administrative line, it has no right to be there, nor anywhere in the north of Kosovo.

“In the Brussels Agreement, point 9 clearly states that the police in the north must reflect the ethnic structure, which means that Serbs must be part of the police force and that there must be no long guns,” Petkovic underlined.

That is why he views such announcements as an attempt at compensation because the KSF cannot be present in northern Kosovo.

“It is also an attempt to further militarize the area of northern Kosovo and Metohija and complete the process of militarization, because Pristina is arming itself, weapons are arriving from numerous countries, while Kurti is announcing one billion euros in investments in the so-called army,” Petkovic pointed out.

He stated that Serbia will preserve peace and stability and fight for the Serbian people.

“Through the wise policy of Aleksandar Vucic, who is strengthening our military and economy, we will succeed in defending peace, preserving our people, and overcoming problems,” Petkovic concluded.