Pristina developed tactics to further intimidate and expel Serbs, arrests without evidence

The high-risk prison in Grdovac, a village near Podujevo, built in 2014 with funds from the European Union, is predominantly "intended" for Serbs, as indicated by the fact that, according to "Novosti" findings, there are 78 Serbs here, more than half of whom are accused of alleged war crimes.

Serbian lawyers fighting for their freedom, as reported by "Novosti," point out that the apparent intention of the Pristina authorities, with the help of international partners and financiers of this prison, is to fill the cells with as many members of the Serbian people as possible and accuse them of crimes, mostly without any material evidence.

"The goal is to arrest as many Serbs as possible and accuse them of war crimes to show foreigners that it is a 'fact' and thus justify the establishment of some kind of Institute for Crimes, even though it is clear that they are arresting innocent people who have nothing to do with it. Because if they had, they certainly would not have stayed to live in Kosovo and Metohija, nor would they come to Kosovo regardless of the reasons. This is clear to both the Kosovo judicial authorities and the Albanian authorities and, ultimately, the entire Albanian society – that those who committed crimes will not allow themselves to be 'accessible' to the local authorities," defenders of the Serbs say.

In addition to emphasizing that the majority of Serbs are first arrested and then evidence is sought for alleged guilt, our interlocutors, lawyers from North Mitrovica, point out that the reasons for arrests are mostly related to property. Instead of arresting those who seize Serbian property, lawyers emphasize, they accuse Serbs who want to regain ownership of their homes or property.

Albanians who have usurped and used Serbian land for years, when the owner wants to recover or potentially sell it, report Serbs for alleged war crimes, often done by the Kosovo Police. One such case is Gavrilo Milosavljevic (63), a Serb from Istok, against whom an indictment was raised a few days ago after a year of detention.

According to lawyer Dejan Vasic, absolutely all citizens of Istok, mostly Albanians since there are almost no Serbs in this Metohija town, know that Gavrilo is innocent.

"My client has been constantly coming to Kosovo and Metohija since 1999, searching for his kidnapped mother. He planned to recover her apartment in Istok and return with his wife and daughter to live there. On the day he managed to obtain the property deed, he was arrested, and now an indictment has been raised after spending the last year in detention in Podujevo," Vasic said.

Milosavljevic's mother was most likely killed.

There are numerous examples of arrested Serbs reported by Albanian neighbors, usurpers of their property, for alleged war crimes. One of them is Milorad Djokovic from Vitomirica near Pec, the only Serbian returnee who won a court case against the local government for the plot where a humanitarian organization built him a house. He returned to his Vitomirica about ten years ago and worked as a return commissioner, but after winning a court judgment for property, he was arrested on suspicion of war crimes against civilians, allegedly killing 19 Albanian citizens, and an indictment was raised against him in June this year. In the meantime, his house was demolished, and municipal authorities plan to build a road on his property.

It is shown by the example of Zoran Kostic (63) from Priluzje in the municipality of Vucitrn that false witnesses will appear later in this case, as in almost all cases in which Serbs are accused of alleged war crimes.

"He was arrested on September 20, and his detention was ordered the next day. The prosecutor only authorized the collection of evidence against him on September 28, which is truly incredible. However, this is customary when it comes to Serbs, although such a procedure is unprecedented in judicial practice. Suspects should be arrested based on evidence or at least reasonable suspicion; they should not seek evidence after arresting someone," lawyer Predrag Miljkovic says.

Lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic mentions the case of Zoran Djokic from Pec, who was sentenced to 12 years without any evidence. The prosecutor's indictment failed, but the lawyer of the allegedly injured brought two new witnesses who claimed to be victims of Djokic's war crimes! Based on such testimonies, no court in the world, as Pantovic emphasizes, would render a guilty verdict. He adds that every Serb accused of committing war crimes in Kosovo has already been sentenced to a long prison term, while the message from the Pristina authorities is sent to members of the Serbian people that they can be accused if they want them to be.