Serb List: Verdict against Mrkic the latest example of institutional violence aimed at intimidating Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija

The Serb List has warned both the domestic and international public about “the increasingly open and brutal form of institutional violence being carried out against the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.” In a statement, they describe the sentence of one year and five months in prison handed to Ivan Mrkic as a clear example of legal abuse directed exclusively at the Serbian population.

The Serb List emphasizes that Serbs are being increasingly subjected to arbitrary arrests and mistreatment by Kosovo's police and judiciary, followed by accelerated and draconian judicial processes, “turning these institutions into instruments of persecution rather than justice.”

“The recent sentencing of Ivan Mrkic to a year and five months in prison for causing minor bodily harm, despite numerous mitigating circumstances and the fact that the victim suffered no lasting consequences, is a clear example of legal violence targeted solely at the Serbian population. Such punishments represent excessive sentencing, unprecedented in practice, and serve only as a means of disciplining and intimidating Serbs in northern Kosovo. Meanwhile, cases against members of the KSF and Kosovo Police, who shot Serbian boys in Gotovusa and attacked Serbs in Bistrica, remain stalled, without proper legal resolution or accountability. This clearly reflects systemic bias and the abuse of institutions that should uphold the law and justice, not political repression,” the statement said.

The Serb List notes that citizens are increasingly living in fear, and that each new arrest creates the sense that anyone could be next, without cause. They point to reports and testimonies that show police officers are using physical force against minors without any justification, further fueling a sense of insecurity and anxiety among the Serbian community.

“All of this is happening within the context of a continuous policy aimed at expelling the Serbian people from Kosovo and Metohija, using repressive institutions and sham judicial processes. In such a system, the police do not serve the citizens; they serve fear. The judiciary is not independent; it serves persecution. This is not the rule of law – it is institutionalized violence. We call on the international community, the European Union, UNMIK, OSCE, and all relevant actors to urgently respond and stop this dangerous trend that threatens to further destabilize an already fragile situation on the ground. We demand the protection of basic human rights, an objective and fair judiciary, and an end to the selective application of the law. These decisions confirm that the courts are neither professional nor independent, and that legal proceedings against Serbs require continuous monitoring by international organizations,” the Serb List concluded.