Radosavljevic: Courts and protection of rights for Albanians, police, excavators, and fists in their own homes for Serbs

Serb List MP Jovana Radosavljevic said that the demolition of structures at Radonjic Lake near Djakovica and the demolition of holiday homes at Gazivode Lake were clear examples of double standards that the relevant authorities were no longer even attempting to conceal.

"This case best demonstrates the extent to which different standards apply to Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija," Radosavljevic wrote on Facebook.

She pointed out that the Regional Water Company Djakovica had reported structures built without permits on its property and within a protected area as early as 2019, which the Inspectorate subsequently confirmed, but the structures were not immediately demolished.

"Those who built them were given the opportunity to seek protection of their rights before the courts. The cases went through the Basic Court, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. Only after all judicial remedies had been exhausted and other proceedings concluded did the demolition take place—today, seven years later," Radosavljevic noted.

She pointed out that the situation at Gazivode was entirely different: houses and other structures belonging to Serbs were being demolished on the basis of decisions issued by the Ibar-Lepenac company, while court proceedings in some cases were still ongoing, meaning that Serbian owners were seeing their property demolished before receiving final judicial protection.

"When Albanians are allowed to use every legal mechanism available to them for years, while Serbian property is demolished before court proceedings have even begun or been concluded, we can no longer speak merely of different administrative practices. This is a clear ethnically motivated pattern of discrimination, double standards, and unprecedented institutionalized hatred toward Serbs," Radosavljevic said.

She also noted that, while this pattern was being repeated, a message was coming from Brussels that the conditions had been met for the Kosovo Police to take over responsibility for the Ibar Bridge as KFOR gradually reduced its presence there.

At the same time, she recalled, it had also been announced that security at Visoki Decani Monastery, one of the most important Serbian holy sites in Kosovo, would in the future be entrusted to the same police force.

Protective mechanisms were being withdrawn precisely when Serbs needed them most, while responsibility was being handed over to those whom Serbs feared most, Radosavljevic stressed.

"The international community has been monitoring these developments week after week through statements, reports, and consultations. What Serbs need is not merely monitoring, but the consistent application of the same standards for the protection of property, rights, and personal security that, as the Radonjic Lake case demonstrates, can be ensured when there is clear and unequivocal will to do so. For Albanians—courts, procedures, and protection of rights. For Serbs—demolitions, police armed with assault rifles, excavators, and fists in their own homes," Radosavljevic concluded.

Five structures near Radonjic Lake were demolished today after they were found to have been unlawfully built on property belonging to the Regional Water Company Djakovica. The company stated that the demolition had been carried out only after all court proceedings had been concluded.

On the other hand, several holiday homes owned by Serbs at Gazivode Lake have been demolished in recent months, including the Jezero motel, even though legal proceedings are still ongoing. The demolitions continued despite the EU's call on Kosovo institutions to halt them and, in cooperation with affected residents and local authorities, find lawful and sustainable solutions, particularly given that the property claims remain subject to ongoing court proceedings.