Representatives of NGOs from the north with the Ombudsman: We pointed out the actions of the Kosovo Police and the harassment of citizens

Representatives of five civil society organizations from northern Kosovo held a meeting with Kosovo Ombudsman Naim Qelaj, during which they discussed police brutality, patterns of excessive use of force, as well as verbal attacks by local and government officials on civil society representatives.

Following the meeting between NGO representatives from northern Kosovo and the Ombudsman, civic activist Jovana Radosavljevic stated that the aim of the encounter was to get updates on the investigations being conducted regarding the excessive use of force by the Kosovo Police.

“We requested a meeting with the Ombudsman’s Office, the leading institution for human rights protection, to discuss issues in the work of the Kosovo Police in the north and the increasingly frequent testimonies from citizens about physical abuse. Our goal was to learn more about the progress of investigations into these allegations and to explore how we can support the process and help our citizens,” Radosavljevic emphasized.

She noted that civil organizations believe the judicial system can protect individuals and communities.

“We are here because we believe that the legal system still has the capacity to protect individuals and communities from improper actions by public authorities. One of the affirmative mechanisms is guaranteed by the Anti-Discrimination Law, which places the burden of proof on the accused rather than the victims. We remind everyone who has, over the past few days, characterized our actions as premature and accusations as baseless of this fact,” she added.

They also pointed out to the Ombudsman the targeting of the civil sector by officials. The most recent example is the Mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atic, against whom the Executive Director of the Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture, Dusan Radakovic, filed a complaint with the Ombudsman’s office.

“We are here to highlight the constant trend of discrediting NGOs by local and state institutions, which, instead of addressing our warnings about violations of basic civil and human rights, respond by targeting and accusing us. The latest example is Erden Atic's reaction, who expressed disapproval because civil society organizations are doing their job, criticizing the work of institutions. Our colleague Dusan Radakovic, whom Atic directly singled out for criticizing the authorities, filed a complaint with the Ombudsman’s office about such conduct by a public official,” she emphasized.

She reminded that civil organizations are doing their job and will continue to respond to all instances of human rights violations.

“Our recent actions have drawn criticism from various societal actors. We emphasize that, as civil society, we perform our work impartially. We will continue to respond to all situations of human rights violations, not only in the north or in Serbian communities but throughout the entire territory of Kosovo,” Radosavljevic added.

They called on EULEX to take responsibility and report on cases of police violence without cover-ups.

“Due to the latest case of police brutality, our organizations have suspended cooperation with the EULEX Mission, as we believe that their more conscientious work in monitoring institutions within the rule of law system can contribute to creating a just society where Serbs and other communities can live with dignity. Therefore, we once again call on them to take responsibility for fact-based reporting on police violence against Kosovo Serbs without concealment, to increase their efforts to monitor rule-of-law institutions in cases where members of the Serbian nationality are detainees or prisoners, suspecting that their ethnicity might be a reason for subjecting them to various forms of violence and discrimination, and to regularly publish findings on the conditions of detainees or prisoners,” she stressed.

They also welcomed EULEX and the Police Inspectorate’s response in the case of Milos Subotic, in which two police officers were suspended for excessive use of force.

They emphasize that such responses should not be triggered solely by civil society measures but should be a standard practice.

“EULEX and the Police Inspectorate's timely reaction in the Subotic case is a step in the right direction. Initial measures in the Subotic case should not mark the end of this process but rather the first step in prosecuting offenders and imposing deterrent measures for all forms of such misconduct. Such responses should not be exceptions or reactions driven by drastic civil society measures, but a systemic practice ensuring the consistent action of institutions in the protection of human rights,” concluded a joint statement from the five NGOs from the north, presented by Radosavljevic.

The organizations participating in the meeting were: Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture, New Social Initiative, Aktiv, Center for Affirmative Social Actions, and the Institute for Territorial Economic Development.