Serb List: Popovic's arrest shows that for Kurti, truth is the greatest enemy

The Serb List strongly condemned this evening what they described as the unlawful detention of Igor Popovic, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija. In their statement, they emphasize that Popović was detained on the orders of Albin Kurti, "solely because he spoke the truth about the suffering of Serbs and Roma in Orahovac in 1998."

The Serb List points out that Popovic was arrested for stating "what everyone knows but what is persistently ignored in Pristina."

"Everyone knows well, especially in Pristina and within the international community, who is responsible for the killing of 47 Serbs and Roma and the abduction of over 100 innocent people. This demonstrates that for Kurti, the truth is the greatest enemy, and that every Serb who speaks openly becomes a target of persecution," the statement says.

It further states that "as long as Serbs are being arrested for speaking the truth while war criminals walk free, there will be neither peace nor justice in Kosovo."

The Serb List warns that through such actions, Kurti continues his policy of fear and pressure against Serbs, with the goal of intimidating, silencing, and expelling them from their centuries-old homes.

They therefore call on all relevant international institutions, especially EULEX and KFOR, to react immediately and put an end to what they describe as "shameless persecution" and to release Igor Popovic without delay.

Popović was detained for a statement about the KLA during the commemoration of the anniversary of the Serb victims in Orahovac.

“This is like trying to give a speech on Golgotha in Jerusalem, where Christ was crucified. Our brothers suffered because KLA terrorists did not want Serbs in this area, and through their execution, they sought to intimidate the rest of the Serb population into leaving. It is also painful that the terrorists—organizers and perpetrators of the crimes—have not been found or punished all these years, while we see that in response to the kidnapping of Israeli civilians, the entire Gaza Strip is being destroyed. Despite all the international investigative groups from UNMIK, EULEX, and the Hague Tribunal, no one has been prosecuted or punished. Instead, the KLA is still being labeled as a liberation organization and freedom fighters,” Popovic said.