Serbs from Kosovo wrote again to the EU, US, and Quint: No protection, institutional violence by Pristina increasing

On the second anniversary of the Appeal for Peace, signed on June 3, 2023, by 163 members of the Serbian community in Kosovo, the signatories have once again spoken out, expressing deep concern over the deteriorating security, institutional, and social situation in northern Kosovo. In their address to the international community, primarily the European Union and the Quint countries, they highlight “unfulfilled expectations and the escalation of repression against the Serbian population.”

The signatories of the Appeal for Peace emphasize that their warnings about pressure and human rights violations against the Serbian community have largely come true, while concrete actions by international partners to protect peace and a multiethnic society have been lacking.

“There has also been a lack of necessary pressure on the Government of Kosovo to halt unilateral, uncoordinated, and often unlawful actions by the Kosovo police and other institutions against the Serbian community, its institutions, and organizations. Over the past two years, we have witnessed brutal police interventions, selective arrests, the dismantling of basic institutions serving the Serbian population, and systemic measures leading to political marginalization and the emigration of Serbs from Kosovo,” the statement says.

They express particular concern over frequent cases of sexual harassment of women in northern Kosovo, repressive measures such as the abolition of the dinar, the shutdown of Serbian cultural and sports institutions, and the ban on imports from Serbia. Also noted are illegal land expropriations for security bases and restrictions on access to church property belonging to the Raska-Prizren Diocese.

The signatories point out that mayors in northern Kosovo, elected with only 3% voter turnout, are making decisions that directly harm the majority Serbian community. Religious sites have also become targets of institutional violence, they warn.

They recall that the Appeal for Peace was sent more than 100 days before the conflict in Banjska, because they “knew there would always be those who would choose war rather than suffer in peace.”

“Therefore, we once again call on the representatives of the European Union, the United States, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom to take the necessary steps to preserve peace and create conditions for the coexistence of Albanians, Serbs, and other communities in Kosovo, without institutional violence by the central authorities in Pristina. As we emphasized two years ago in the Appeal for Peace, you bear a historical and moral responsibility for the fate of the Serbian people living in this region. Our future depends on your resolve, and the preservation of peace in Kosovo depends on the speed of your action. History will remember your next moves, and therefore, we urge you to act responsibly in accordance with the values of democracy and multiethnic coexistence upon which Western civilization is founded,” the statement concludes.