Radomirovic: The rights of Serbs in Kosovo are being systematically annulled, including the right to use language and script

Vladimir Radomirovic, editor-in-chief of the “Pistaljka” portal and former president of the Journalists’ Association of Serbia, pointed out that the rights of Serbs in Kosovo are being systematically annulled, including the right to use their language and script. He assessed Albin Kurti’s statement addressed to journalists from Serbian media, in which he told them to address him in Albanian, as a continuation of pressure and a message to the entire Serbian community.

“First of all, this is a hypocritical call, because although Albin Kurti speaks the Serbian language and speaks it well, the rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are being systematically annulled, including the right to use language and script,” Radomirovic told Kosovo Online.

He pointed out that the disregard for the Serbian language can be seen in the everyday practice of institutions in Pristina, especially in their official communication.

“When we look at the websites of institutions in Kosovo and Metohija, we see that sections in the Serbian language are always in Latin script, in some kind of quasi-language that is not Serbian – there is no Cyrillic anywhere, and that language is completely corrupted and does not correspond to the standard Serbian language. It would be better for Albin Kurti to use proper Serbian in the official communication of his institutions than to demand that Serbs speak Albanian,” Radomirovic said.

He assessed that statements like this one are not an incident, but part of a long-standing process of suppressing the Serbian language, and that responsibility for such a situation does not lie solely with the authorities in Pristina.

“This is discrimination, and this statement is a continuation of discrimination that has lasted for decades. Even after the 1974 Constitution, the Serbian language was marginalized, and now the situation is at an even worse level for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. The problem also lies with Western institutions and Western governments, which fail to notice this problem or sweep it under the rug, even though they know that the Serbian population in Kosovo and Metohija is currently the most endangered ethnic group in Europe, yet they do nothing to improve the position of the Serbian people,” he said.

Speaking about the position of Serbian media, he warned that journalists are under constant pressure, and that Kurti is using them to send a message to the entire Serbian community.

“Serbian journalists have long been unable to participate on an equal footing in events organized by the authorities in Pristina, because they are not provided with interpretation and cannot ask questions. They are the most exposed part of the Serbian community, and through them a message is sent to the entire Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija – that they should remain silent and accept all irregularities, illegalities, and discrimination coming from Pristina, which are supported by Western countries,” Radomirovic concluded.