Petkovic: There was no kidnapping; Kurti and Gervalla are lying; the arrested Serbs were beaten

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, pointed out today that all of the unjustly arrested Serbs had been seriously mistreated and beaten by the Kosovo Police, while the Pristina police officers, arrested in central Serbia, had been treated according to regulations.

"Today, Serbian liaison officer Dejan Pavicevic visited the unjustly arrested Serbs who are in detention centers in Podujevo and Gnjilan. He visited Rados Petrovic in Gnjilan, and Milun Milenkovic Lune, Nemanja Vlaskovic, Dalibor Spasic, and Milovan Bozovic, who are detained in Podujevo. What Pavicevic conveyed to us since he is on his way to Belgrade, is that all the arrested Serbs have in common that they were all severely mistreated and beaten by the Kosovo Police, especially when they were arrested and taken to detention centers," Petkovic said at the press conference.

Some of them had suffered serious injuries, especially Dusan Obrenovic and Milenkovic, he added.

"Even now, and so much has passed since the arrest of all these Serbs, their injuries are still visible, especially in the case of Lune and Obrenovic. Pavicevic told us that Milenkovic had stitches on his head, bruises under his eyes, and visible traces of beatings, as well as that he had testified himself that he had been beaten while sitting tied up during the interrogation. Even the doctors asked him to go for a head scan. The video of the arrest itself shows that the special officer hit him in the head with a gunstock," Petkovic pointed out.

He added that they were fine, but with permanent scars, not to mention psychological torture.

"I would especially like to mention that it is clear what the treatment and behavior of the Kosovo Police towards the arrested Serbs is, they seriously beat each of them, unlike the arrested Pristina policemen, where our police acted in accordance with the regulations and the law. No one was mistreated and beaten, and this was confirmed by the Pristina liaison officer, who had the opportunity to visit them today and see the conditions they are kept in," he said.

Petkovic said that Kosovo police officers were kept in custody in excellent conditions, that everyone had their own room, and they had something to eat, drink, juice, fruit, cakes, and everything they had wanted they had gotten.

"This is the treatment of the arrested Pristina policemen who entered the territory of central Serbia armed to the teeth. On the other side, the Serbs are languishing in a casemate just because they are Serbs, and they just opposed the violence that Pristina and Albin Kurti are carrying out against the Serbs. Everything that Kurti and Donika Gervalla said at the press conference about the alleged kidnapping of Kosovo police officers is a lie. There was no kidnapping at all," he added.

Petkovic also pointed out that it was up to the competent authorities to investigate the case against the arrested Kosovo policemen, who, he says, were moving around the edges of the forest, deep in the territory of central Serbia, with automatic weapons, but that it is clear that the Serbian competent authorities treated them professionally and in accordance with all norms.

"They are in more than a good condition; this was confirmed by the liaison officer and the president of the police union in Pristina, who said that they were fine. He also said that seven police officers had been slightly injured in the events of May 29, that they were all fine and had returned to work. And, no one mentions the Serbs who were injured that same day, 52 of them. Nor what is happening with Dragisa Galjak, who is in Belgrade in orthopedics, awaiting surgery, because his pelvis is crushed, and the question is whether he will be able to walk," Petkovic pointed out.

Recalling that Galjak was hit from behind, with two bullets, he stated that even today there was no one who had been suspended by the Kosovo Police, let alone seriously punished or prosecuted.

"Not a single Albanian, neither a policeman, nor a citizen, has been injured, all this time, and at the same time we have armed Kosovo policemen who are invading. We have bare-handed Serbs who are only defending their right to survive and live in peace, who arrest and rule over everyone in Kosovo, they are hitting and beating the Serbs," Petkovic underlined.

When it comes to the location where the Kosovo police officers were arrested, he also stated that KFOR had denied Kurti and Gervalla and that this Mission said in a statement dated June 16 that it had been unclear where the arrest had taken place.

He stated that Pristina was only using propaganda, in order to denigrate the Serbs in Kosovo, to declare them a criminal people, a fascist police.

"Where this all leads when it is well known that Kurti is the one who inherits the fascist ideology,” Petkovic stated.

He added that the report of the Belgrade liaison officer would be prepared and delivered to all relevant international organizations and representatives dealing with this issue.

"And when we talk about kidnapping, the only one who was kidnapped was Uros Vukasinovic, a Telekom employee from Leposavic, who was arrested in a civilian car, by a member of the ROSU police in civilian clothes. They dragged him into a passenger car and took him in an unknown direction. They want to arrest all the Serbs because they are resisting the terror of Albin Kurti, who wants to occupy the entire north, that's why they are beating our people. The Kosovo Police are in the north to implement the plan and philosophy of the Prizren League on ethnically pure Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic said.

Petkovic said that the international community was silent, just as it had not spoken out to condemn the attack on Serbian children on Christmas Day.

"None of those who shot the six Serbs since the beginning of the year is in prison, but that's why we have six Serbs who were innocently and unjustifiably arrested by Pristina and are in the Casemate," he underlined.

He said that it was important that the liaison officer managed, thanks to the numerous interventions of Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic, to get permission to visit them. The only one he did not visit was Uros Vukasinovic because, as he explained, he was under police detention for 48 hours.

"But we will request that Pavicevic visit him as well. We urgently request the release of all the arrested Serbs. That is the only way to move forward. And then withdraw the fake mayors, and ROSU special forces from the north, so that we can generally move in the direction of normalization. Everything that Kurti is doing is the opposite of dialogue and normalization, and does not lead to de-escalation," Petkovic explained.

The fact that the Serbs were so brutally beaten shows clearly that Kurti's intention is to go in the direction of further escalation, he underlines.

The new arrests announced in Pristina show, he adds, that Kurti only wants to deal with the remaining Serbs, because it bothers him that they see their homeland in Serbia and President Vucic and that they want to fight for freedom.

"We will fight for that freedom together, and above all to free our heroes, the six Serbs who were mistreated, beaten, have visible wounds and injuries, which is a clear indication of how Pristina treated them," he said.

He also referred to Gervallla's claims that Kosovo policemen were not mistreated, but that they were not fed enough.

"They got more than they have at their table when they are at home. So much for hypocrisy," Petkovic underlined.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia responded to the EULEX inquiry, which was not taking any steps to free the Serbs.

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs answered all the points of inquiry and additionally expressed its willingness to offer all possible evidence and participate in the investigation. It was clearly stated that EULEX could bring all its machines for a polygraph examination, to determine exactly what happened. Our policemen did not cross the administrative line not even a one step. Kurti deceives and lies all the time. When you act responsibly, offer all the evidence, and say that you are ready for any cooperation, it clearly shows that you have a clear conscience, and the one who lies, who tries all the time to denigrate Belgrade and the Serbs in Kosovo, and that is Kurti," Petkovic underlined.