Serbian Ministry of Justice: Popovic's plea agreement has no legal effect

The Ministry of Justice of the Government of Serbia stated today that the plea agreement of Igor Popovic, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, before the court in Pristina has no legal effect in Serbia’s legal system or under international law, because neither Serbia nor international law recognize the legitimacy of the institution that concluded it.

Furthermore, the statement emphasizes, the agreement itself is invalid because it was concluded under duress and in conditions of violations of fundamental rights guaranteed by UN Resolution 1244 and the UN Charter on Human Rights.

“The Ministry of Justice warns that the continued abuse of the judiciary in Kosovo and Metohija represents a grave and organized violation of international law and a direct attack on the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Serbian people. For this reason, the Republic of Serbia will use all legal and political means to protect Igor Popovic and to expose this gross injustice before the international community,” the statement reads.

It is also pointed out that signing and using a plea agreement in such a case serves solely as a tool for further stigmatizing the Serbian people and strengthening political control, rather than as an instrument of the rule of law.

“This is also confirmed by the fact that Igor Popovic himself has once again stated that he considers the KLA to be a terrorist organization, and that he signed the agreement under pressure, not of his own free will,” the Ministry of Justice of Serbia stressed.

The statement recalls that Popovic was deprived of liberty for expressing his publicly stated opinion at a commemorative gathering marking the anniversary of the suffering of Serbs in Orahovac, where, exercising his right to freedom of opinion and expression, he spoke the truth about war crimes against the Serbian people.

“Igor Popovic was arrested solely because he clearly and unequivocally said that the crimes in Orahovac and other places were committed by members of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army – which is a fact, not an insult,” the statement reads.

It adds that this clearly shows that, under Kurti’s regime, speaking the truth is followed by handcuffs, detention, and the threat of a staged trial.

“His arrest and the imposition of detention merely for naming the perpetrators demonstrates that Pristina has no intention of respecting fundamental human rights, does not recognize the KLA War Crimes Court, and is instead guided solely by the idea of violating all human rights and carrying out repression against Serbs,” the Ministry stated.

The statement also notes that the judicial authorities in Pristina have for years been conducting selective proceedings against Serbs, while crimes against the Serbian people remain unpunished.

“For all these reasons, the Ministry of Justice once again calls on the international missions in Kosovo and Metohija – primarily EULEX and KFOR, as well as representatives of the European Union – to react urgently, and reminds them that these missions are obliged to protect fundamental human rights and to sanction Pristina’s actions for violating basic human rights, including the right to freedom of expression and freedom of political opinion, especially when a guilty plea is extracted for expressing views about KLA crimes. We remind once again that this is precisely why the KLA War Crimes Court was established, supported by the UN and by the countries that recognized the so-called Kosovo,” the statement concludes.

As a reminder, after the court in Pristina yesterday handed down its verdict and after he was deported from Kosovo, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Igor Popovic told Kosovo Online that he does not acknowledge any guilt for what he said in Orahovac and that he has no agreement whatsoever with Albin Kurti’s judiciary.

Previously, the Basic Court in Pristina, on the basis of the plea agreement, had imposed a fine of 3,000 euros and a two-year ban on entering Kosovo for the alleged criminal offense of “inciting discord and intolerance.”

Popovic was arrested at the Brnjak crossing on July 18 for his statement during a memorial service for the Serb victims in Orahovac. He was then ordered into 30 days’ detention.