Popovic: Difficult situation, Serbs cannot build a future in Kosovo in an atmosphere of fear

Serb List Presidency member and MP Srdjan Popovic said today that the security situation for Serbs in Kosovo is very difficult and that everything that is happening – the beating of Nenad Raskovic, raids, searches, arrests, and demolitions at Gazivode – is creating an atmosphere of chaos in which the Serbian people cannot build a future.

“The security situation is quite difficult. Nenad Raskovic is not the only person who has been beaten, but people are afraid to speak out. What happened to Nenad will leave a deep mark on the Serbian people. To take a man into the woods and beat him mercilessly in order to make him confess to something he did not do is something the Kosovo police, or any police force in the world, should never allow themselves to do,” Popovic told Newsmax Balkans.

When you see a police uniform, you should feel safe, not afraid of it, Popovic added.

“Detentions, arrests, raids on homes, beatings, the demolition of buildings at Gazivode, summonses for questioning of Serb List officials, all of this creates an atmosphere of chaos in which our people certainly cannot build a future,” Popovic warned.

He noted that, although several other people have also experienced violence, many members of the Serbian community do not want to speak about it out of fear.

“The atmosphere that the institutions in Pristina are trying to create, especially in northern Kosovo and Metohija, must come to an end,” Popovic said.

He particularly pointed out that the international community’s statements condemning such behavior have been brief and insufficient.

“That is not enough. Everything ends there, and there is no adequate action, no sanctions against the institutions, individuals or the policies of Pristina, and they continue doing as they please. I do not believe they will stop until there are adequate sanctions from the international community,” Popovic said.

He also said that the Serb List had appealed to the international community many times and had approached every possible relevant institution, explaining the repression to which Serbs in Kosovo are being subjected.

“At those meetings, we complain, they listen to us, but in the end, what would actually be effective on the ground is missing,” Popovic said.

He stressed that all that remains is to continue informing every possible relevant institution about what Serbs are being subjected to by Pristina, in the hope that the international community will respond appropriately.

Popovic said that Pristina is trying to create an atmosphere of fear because it can govern only in such an environment, all under the guise of integration.

“However, they must understand that integration and trust in institutions cannot be built through beatings, arrests, and the demolition of buildings. This behavior and such a policy will not achieve that,” Popovic explained.