Popovic: Along with Serbian police officers, their families were also expelled – Kurti is scoring political points

Srdjan Popovic, a member of the Serb List, stated that by expelling Serbs whose Kosovo documents were revoked, their families were essentially expelled as well. Commenting on the summons for questioning of Serb List President Zlatan Elek, which has since been postponed, Popovic said the case represents politically motivated persecution, Euronews Serbia reports.

Following the detention of three members of Serbia’s Ministry of Interior and one retired police officer by the authorities in Pristina, two of them were immediately stripped of their Kosovo citizenship and deported. Popovic noted that no one expected such an outcome.

“It was an open secret that all these individuals had worked in Serbia’s Ministry of Interior for the past 15 years or more. However, now we’re seeing this being used for political purposes,” Popovic said.

He further implied that by expelling Serbs whose documents were revoked, their entire families were effectively expelled.

“This wasn’t just about arrest and deportation, or the revocation of documents. It’s a form of pressure on their families, because they are now banned from entering the region for the next five years – they cannot visit their families, children, or parents. So, we can conclude that, in a way, five families were also expelled,” Popovic explained.

He also conveyed the sense of shock among the Serbs in Kosovo over the indictment against Slavko Simic.

“We were surprised that an indictment was raised against Slavko Simic. Everyone knows that from the beginning, he advocated for resolving issues between Serbs and Albanians through institutions. He lives there with his wife and four children, and his only ‘fault’ is that he defended our people at every step and was always present where needed,” Popovic said.

Popovic equally emphasized that the “persecution of Zlatan Elek is of a political nature.”

“The same applies to the President of the Serb List, Zlatan Elek. He is a respected doctor, a pediatric surgeon, whose only ‘sin’ was leading the Serb List in defending our interests. I’m certain there’s no blemish on his record—people can only speak highly of him,” said Popovic.

In conclusion, Popovic stated that Albin Kurti’s actions are politically driven but have a harmful effect on the Serbian community, which is being targeted.

“It’s obvious that Albin Kurti’s policies do not have the support of the international community, nor the support of the people living in Kosovo. He doesn’t have a majority in the Assembly, and with these moves—everyone believes—he’s trying to earn himself some political points,” Popovic said.