Serb List: Kosovo Police arrest five Serbs in the village of Suvo Grlo, continuation of Kurti’s practice

Serb List stated that the Special Unit of the Kosovo Police entered the village of Suvo Grlo in the municipality of Srbica early this morning and arrested five Serbs on suspicion of alleged war crimes. Serb List said this represents a continuation of the practice of the regime of Albin Kurti of arresting Serbs without valid evidence for the purpose of intimidation and persecution. They announced that they will discuss the arrests with international representatives and request their active involvement in monitoring all judicial proceedings conducted against Serbs.

“Early this morning, with an unprecedented presence of heavily armed special units, the village of Suvo Grlo in the municipality of Srbica was raided and blocked, during which five of our compatriots were arrested—honorable and respectable householders who, according to their family members, are being charged by the institutions in Pristina with alleged war crimes,” Serb List stated in its press release.

They emphasize that this action also represents a continuation of the practice of Albin Kurti’s regime which, they note, systematically and without valid evidence arrests Serbs and files indictments for war crimes with the clear aim of intimidating and persecuting them.

“As a rule, those targeted are precisely reputable householders who have neither left their homes nor sold their property—people who remain living on their land and thus represent an example of the survival of the Serbian people. Their arrests send a dangerous message that any innocent person can become the target of politically motivated proceedings,” Serb List warned.

They point out that it is particularly concerning that the international community has for some time not devoted sufficient attention to judicial proceedings conducted against Serbs, stressing that this is shameful and unacceptable.

“Defense attorneys highlight numerous irregularities—unproven guilt, altered witness statements, as well as reliance on non-credible testimonies. Additional concern is raised by assessments of representatives of the Humanitarian Law Fund, who indicate that in certain cases convictions are handed down for alleged acts of a group, rather than on the basis of the concrete actions of the accused themselves, which means that people are being convicted for the misdeeds of others—a practice that is unacceptable in the 21st century,” Serb List stated.

For this reason, they say, they will discuss the latest arrests with international representatives and demand their active involvement in monitoring all judicial proceedings, in order to prevent innocent Serbs from being unjustly held in detention and to ensure respect for fundamental human and legal standards.

“At the same time, we will take steps, together with our state, to provide legal assistance to all those arrested,” the statement by Serb List concludes.