Blagica Janackovic: We have a final and binding decision for the apartment, but that means nothing to them – We will fight

Blagica Janackovic, who was evicted today from her apartment in North Mitrovica along with her family, following an order by the Kosovo Property Comparison and Verification Agency and with the assistance of the Kosovo Police, stated that they will fight for justice, as they have a final and binding decision for the apartment, which, unfortunately, the Kosovo authorities do not recognize.

Blagica had lived in that apartment for 24 years with her husband Dragan, their son, and daughter-in-law.

"My husband is taking all of this especially hard emotionally because this is the fifth time we’re being forced to move. We were displaced from Novo Selo, where we left behind all our property, where everything was burned down. His father was kidnapped there, and to this day we don't know where his remains are. In the end, we received papers from Trepca and bought an apartment through Trepca, where my husband earned his pension after 40 years of work, and where I have been working for 35 years and am still employed. Together, we have 75 years of work experience, all in Trepca, and now we’re being denied the right to the socially-owned apartment that we purchased through Trepca’s office in Belgrade,” Janackovic told Kosovo Online.

She added that they resolved all the apartment documentation through the court.

"In 2007, we completed all the paperwork in the municipal court in Kosovska Mitrovica, precisely to avoid a situation like this. Trepca represented us in court. We submitted all the proper documents there. We received a decision from the municipal court of the provisional administration in Kosovo, and in September 2007, we were issued a ruling that substituted the purchase contract for the apartment. The decision is final and binding, but it means nothing to them, because they claim those are parallel institutions they do not recognize, ever since Kosovo declared independence under their law in 2008,” she explained.

She said they tried to appeal through a court-appointed attorney, and even hired a private lawyer who filed appeals.

"His appeal was rejected twice. Now we have no right to appeal because they claim those are parallel institutions they don’t recognize. That’s the decision. Last year, we received the first eviction order, and in the meantime, we filed appeals, which were all rejected,” Janackovic stated.

Asked whether they had received any notice during the 20 years they lived in the apartment, Janackovic said they had not.

“Nothing. In 20 years, no one notified us of anything. Meanwhile, a parallel procedure was underway, where Mr. Jonuzi, who previously used the apartment, supposedly made an exchange, even though he never worked at Trepca. He even tried before 1999 to go to Trepca and buy this apartment but was rejected. He only had the apartment for use. Apartments were always given and taken back based on use. I have nothing more to say. If the two of us, with 75 years of work experience at Trepca, don’t have the right to the socially-owned apartment we purchased, then I have nothing else to add. We will keep fighting,” said Janackovic.

Since they were assigned temporary accommodation, she added that the family will have somewhere to sleep, but they now have nowhere to store their belongings.

“We’ve built our life here for over 20 years. We have nowhere to leave our things. We just found out from the police that they will throw our things into the park, and are telling us to do whatever we want with them. As my husband said – we might as well pitch a tent in the park,” Blagica said in despair.