Radojevic: North under police occupation; Blazic: Police officer kicked me, said he was doing it for fun

Mayor of North Mitrovica Milan Radojevic visited the injured 19-year-old Vukasin Blazic, who is being treated at the Kosovska Mitrovica Clinical Hospital Center, where he received medical assistance after last night’s incident at the Bistrica checkpoint.

Radojevic stressed that this was just another in a series of incidents that, as he said, occur daily at this checkpoint, an issue the Serb List has repeatedly raised with representatives of the international community in Kosovo.

“One of our young men, one of our fellow citizens, was beaten last night at the Bistrica Bridge by members of the Kosovo Special Police for no reason whatsoever. These are problems that, unfortunately, keep recurring, and this is exactly what we, as representatives of the Serb List, pointed out at yesterday’s meeting with the NATO admiral, Mr. Witkoff, where we specifically mentioned the Bistrica Bridge as a neuralgic point where all Serbs are harassed, stopped, and where members of special units with long firearms harass family people, even when children are in the vehicles,” he said.

After visiting the injured young man and discussing what had happened, Radojevic emphasized that he expected a concrete reaction from international institutions.

“In the previous period, we had people wounded at the Bistrica Bridge, and last night, the case of one of our young men being beaten. It is high time for the international community to take steps and remove members of special units from these areas. What we also mentioned yesterday, and I truly mean it in the full sense of the word, is that the north of Kosovo and Metohija is under complete police occupation, because Albin Kurti is now using police officers and these special units also as inspectors. They interfere in the work of municipal authorities and municipal bodies. They prevent any functioning of our municipalities and, as you can see, unfortunately, this continues to cause problems for our people,” he stressed.

The Serb List, Radojevic added, will provide all necessary assistance to the family and the injured Blazic.

“We believe the case is more than clear and that members of the police inspectorate can review the cameras at that checkpoint, where they will see everything. Therefore, we expect the case to be resolved quickly, but we also expect members and representatives of the international community to monitor this investigation and that concrete results will come as soon as possible and be presented to the public,” Radojevic said.

The injured Vukasin Blazic described what happened as he was returning from Kopaonik with friends when police stopped them at the Bistrica checkpoint.

“Last night they stopped me because of a sticker, some Red Star one. He forced me to remove it, and I said I wouldn’t. He removed it, crumpled it, and threw it at me. He started taking me toward the booth, they stopped him there, and then he took me to the concrete barriers. I stood in the position for a search, and he pulled me back and started kicking me several times. He hit me on the neck and arms,” Blazic recounted.

As he said, another police officer stopped it.

“I turned around and asked him how he could do that, and he said he was doing it because he could and for fun. He was stopped by another Albanian, an older man. The older ones apologized to me, returned my documents, and told me to go. I came here, the police came as well and questioned me. People from Pristina also came and they will come again today,” Blazic told us.

Vukasin’s father, Sasa Blazic, said that further communication with the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo will go through a lawyer.

“My son was stopped last night. We were told by the inspectorate last night that they had come from Pristina, and we allowed them to enter here, although we could have refused, with or without a warrant. We allowed them to come in normally to talk to my son and see the condition he was in, so there would be no lies or deception tomorrow. My child was stopped, and last night I allowed them to see for themselves. They said they would come at half past nine, now it’s half past ten, and no one has come. From now on, I will communicate with them only through a lawyer. I will pursue this case to the end, as far as I can,” the father of the injured young man said.