Vujic: Popovic’s arrest shows that Pristina does not recognize the court for KLA crimes and is banning the truth

By placing Igor Popovic, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, in detention, Pristina is sending a clear message that any attempt by Serbs to speak about their own suffering will be punished with arrest and political repression. This not only disregards the obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1244 but also continues the practice of persecution on ethnic and political grounds, stated Serbian Minister of Justice Nenad Vujic.

In a statement, Vujic strongly protested and emphasized that this is a politically motivated act constituting a gross violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms.

"With this act, the provisional institutions in Pristina are sending a clear message – any attempt by Serbs to speak about their suffering will be punished by arrest and political repression," Vujic said, adding that this not only ignores the obligations from UN Security Council Resolution 1244 but also perpetuates the dangerous practice of ethnically and politically motivated persecution.

Vujic reminded that Popovic was deprived of liberty for publicly expressing his views at a commemorative event marking the anniversary of the suffering of Serbs in Orahovac, where he exercised his right to freedom of opinion and expression and spoke the truth about war crimes committed against the Serbian people.

"Popovic was arrested solely because he clearly and unequivocally stated 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 Minister of Justice said.

He recalled that it was precisely for this reason that the Specialist Chambers for KLA war crimes, based in The Hague, was established. Yet under Kurti’s regime, speaking the truth results in handcuffs, detention, and the threat of a politically fabricated trial.

According to him, the arrest and detention of the Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija solely for naming the perpetrators shows that Pristina has no intention of respecting basic human rights, does not recognize the Court for KLA crimes, and is instead driven solely by a desire to violate all human rights and conduct repression against the Serbian population.

He added that such a decision by Pristina represents an attempt to criminalize remembrance and ban the truth, thereby further undermining the already fragile security and political rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo.

Vujic pointed out that it is particularly alarming that detention is being imposed for a verbal offense, which violates not only international and human rights law but also the fundamental achievements of modern civilization.

The Minister of Justice called on international missions in Kosovo—particularly EULEX, KFOR, and representatives of the European Union—to react urgently and ensure the immediate end of the persecution of Igor Popovic and his prompt release.

Recalling that these missions are obligated to protect fundamental human rights and sanction Pristina's behavior through their actions, Vujic emphasized that Serbia will not remain silent in the face of Pristina’s violence against its citizens and will continue to protect its representatives and the Serbian people in Kosovo by all legal means.