Popovic: The judiciary in Pristina treats attacks on Serbs not as ethnically motivated, but as incidents

The Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija in the sector for legal protection, support to local self-government, and property-legal affairs, Igor Popovic, stated that the number of attacks on Serbs in Kosovo has drastically increased since the current Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti came to power, and that these incidents are not treated as ethnically motivated attacks by the Kosovo judicial authorities, but rather as incidents.

Popovic explained to Kosovo Online that from the beginning of 2024 until July, 68 ethnically motivated attacks on Serbs in Kosovo have been recorded.

He noted that last year there were 179 attacks, and in 2022 there were 150, which he added is a clear indicator that the regime led by Kurti is spreading hatred towards Serbs in the public.

"For all their difficulties, Serbs are blamed: for their unemployment, lack of investment, enormous emigration to the West... Serbs are blamed for all of this. It is expected that the Albanian population, thanks to this media campaign, blames Serbs for everything, and that attacks on Serbian and non-Albanian populations are increasing. Compared to previous decades, in recent years, this is a significant number of attacks. These include physical altercations, attacks, assaults, thefts, provocations, attacks on churches, thefts, property damage, and destruction of houses," Popovic added.

According to him, the Serbian population in Kosovo is facing security threats, and the attacks on them send a clear message.

"That in Kosovo and Metohija there is only room for Albanians, for an ethnically clean space, and that any presence of Serbs, whether it be cemeteries, their property, or simply hearing their language in public, will be subjected to attack. This is entirely clear," said Popovic.

Despite the fact that Serbs report the attacks, Popovic emphasizes that they are not treated as ethnically motivated but as ordinary incidents, and thus they are not prioritized for prosecution.

"We do not have data that any of the attackers have been punished, sentenced to prison, fined, or convicted in any way. Simply, these records do not exist, they do not disclose them, according to their interpretation, Serbs and non-Albanians are protected in Kosovo, and that framework is excellent for non-Albanian communities, which is evidently untrue," Popovic emphasized.

He also recalled the wounding of Milos and Stefan Stojanovic from Gotovusa near Strpce.

"For example, Milos and Stefan Stojanovic from Strpce were wounded on Christmas Eve by a member of the so-called Kosovo Security Forces, Azem Kurtaj, who is now free. Despite wounding a young man and a child, the man was first placed under house arrest, then released to defend himself in freedom, and furthermore, he dared to file a criminal complaint against Jevtic, the mayor of Strpce in the Kosovo system, for reacting publicly," he said.
It is not surprising, claims Popovic, that the number of attacks is increasing because the judicial institutions do not treat cases of attacks on Serbs.

"They do not treat Serbian and non-Albanian victims, nor the attacks on them. There are other cases where people are subjected to physical attacks, for example in Pomoravlje, in those mixed areas, Mogila, Klokot, where people are simply attacked, and then the attackers file criminal charges against them, claiming that they were threatened. So, with such a judicial framework of the provisional self-government institutions, it is not surprising that the attacks are increasing, because there is no punishment," concluded Popovic.