Simic: The situation has never been worse, someone has to say enough is enough

Igor Simic, a representative of the Serb List, stated that the situation in Kosovo has never been worse and that ethnic cleansing of the Serbian people is taking place. He emphasized that Serbs in Kosovo expect protection from the international community and for someone to say, "enough is enough."

"I was born in Kosovo, and I can responsibly say that Serbs are living in conditions most similar to apartheid," Simic said on the RTS Morning Program.

He added that this was the result of a systematic plan to ethnically cleanse Serbs from Kosovo, describing the events not as isolated incidents or provocations.

“This is part of a broader, organized, institutional violence aimed at the ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Kosovo and everything Serbian. This has particularly accelerated in the last few months, and most directly since Kurti took power in Pristina. He is implementing his plan, which means that if there are no Serbs, there are no problems in Kosovo. If they cannot prove their statehood on the international stage, they will do so on the backs of the Serbs – by beating up a young man one day or arresting a 90-year-old man and accusing him of war crimes. This is a recurring pattern aimed at instilling fear among Serbs in Kosovo,” Simic stressed.

He notes that the situation worsens day by day.

"Every day, there is something new – a new right taken away from the Serbs, a new problem, and more uncertainty about the future," Simic said.

Simic pointed out that Serbian institutions were expelled from Kosovo in 1999 when security was handed over to KFOR and, since 2008, to EULEX forces.

"Unfortunately, when it comes to EULEX, it has been shown that Serbs have no trust in them. They have never taken any action to protect Serbs. We witness raids into our institutions, which happen right under the watch of these international representatives who do nothing. They brutally raided the Clinical Hospital Center in Kosovska Mitrovica, standing by silently despite the pleas of the employees as Albanian police officers destroyed and ransacked the hospital," Simic said.

Commenting on today's scheduled address by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, scheduled for 6 p.m., Simic said that Serbs in Kosovo expect someone to finally say, "Enough is enough."

"If there is no security for Serbs in Kosovo, there will be no Serbs. Right now, economically well-off families are leaving Kosovo solely for security reasons. This is the counterpart to what is happening among Albanians, who are leaving primarily for economic reasons. Our people are leaving because they don't know what will happen tomorrow," Simic emphasized.

He stressed that security for Serbs must be guaranteed by those who have received a mandate from the UN and the Security Council to protect everyone and that this must be a clear stance from Serbia.

"This includes Serbs," Simic clarified.

He also mentioned the importance of increasing economic and financial support for the Serbian people to compensate for the fact that they cannot purchase products from Serbia, which are half the price of the goods they currently pay for.

Commenting on recent talks the Serb List delegation had with representatives of the Quint and the EU, Simic emphasized that the time for mere statements must end.

"After every denial of rights to the Serbian people, they issue another statement. I directly asked them, 'How many more statements do you have in your drawer before the last one that says there are no more Serbs in Kosovo?' Because these statements are starting to give us headaches. It seems absurd that someone could claim that the most powerful countries in Europe and the world cannot stop Albin Kurti from expelling Serbs," Simic noted.

He reminded that NATO forces in Kosovo number over 8,000, and EULEX has several hundred members, meaning there are ways for the international community to send Albin Kurti a clear message.

"However, these weak statements only give further support to what he is doing. The time for statements has passed. Nobody in Pristina even reads them anymore," Simic emphasized.

When asked how Serbs in enclaves are faring, he said the situation is terrible, as evidenced by the number of Serbs who have been arrested.

"So far, 71 people have been arrested. That might not seem like much, but it means 71 families are suffering terribly because someone’s father, son, brother, or uncle is in prison. Do you understand that you could wake up tomorrow and lose your home, or someone could come and arrest your loved one without any evidence, just because they are Serbian and have chosen to live in Kosovo?" Simic said.

Commenting on the recent arrest of four young men in North Mitrovica, he said the reality in Kosovo is such that children can be intercepted and beaten.

"Imagine being a parent watching your child, for whom you’ve done everything to raise them into a good person, being abused, and you can’t do anything," Simic said.

He added that the four young men had been beaten "for no reason."

"They come from honorable families who live in Kosovo. One of the boys' fathers is a professor and former dean of the Faculty of Technical Sciences. These are people living normal lives. Yet, they were beaten mercilessly," Simic stressed.

He added that the biggest absurdity is that Serbs are confronted with the absurdity of being arrested and beaten without any basis, only for their families to then be "grateful" that their innocent child is under house arrest and not in prison.

"Imagine that situation. That best describes what life is like for Serbs in Kosovo. People are arrested without any reason, and then later, it is said, ‘It’s okay, they have only been sentenced to six months in prison.’ For what?" Simic concluded.

When asked about the impact of the US elections and whether life for Serbs would improve if Donald Trump or Kamala Harris were to win, Simic stated that these elections undoubtedly affect the lives of Serbs in Kosovo, but noted that many administrations have changed over the past 25 years, yet each year, Serbs' lives have only gotten harder, not better.

"Currently, EU sanctions are being applied to Pristina. After the EU statement that these measures are in place and that they are strict, a few days later, you see an EU institution in Pristina signing an agreement with some minister for a donation of several tens of millions of euros. These are all performances. There is no real action sending Kurti the message, ‘You must not do this,’" Simic clarified.

When asked if he expects to return to his job at the Pensions and Disability Insurance Fund, he responded affirmatively, stating that the closure of this institution had affected over 27,000 pensioners of all nationalities.

"We are not a parallel institution. The institutions they brutally raided are the only ones in Kosovo that provide these services. Only someone who is part of Serbia’s Pensions and Disability Insurance Fund can determine the service years earned within the Serbian system and enable someone to retire. No Kosovo institution can do that, and the international representatives, of course, know this well. The raid on the PIO Fund has jeopardized over 27,000 pensioners, but it has also endangered everyone else, regardless of nationality. This is a socio-economic and political issue that the international community must address," Simic concluded.