The Kosovo Property Agency has taken away the premises of the Pensioners' Association from North Mitrovica

The Kosovo Property Agency is not giving up on seizing socially-owned properties in the north of Kosovo, warns the United Pensioners' Association in North Mitrovica, whose members have been evicted from premises they have occupied since 1999, reports Novosti.

According to Dusanka Vlahovic, the secretary of the Association, which includes members of various ethnic groups such as Albanians, Gorani, and Bosniaks, the Agency's representatives recently ordered them to stop work on renovating the premises.

"They came and ordered us to halt the renovation work we had started to create better working conditions in the space we’ve occupied for 25 years, to reorganize the office and create a club for our members," she says, adding that they placed yellow tape in front of the premises.

"We are now forced to work in the hallway in front of the Veterans' Organization's premises, which will likely also become a target of the Pristina Agency," she points out.

Vlahovic also mentions that the Agency has already changed the ownership structure of dozens of locations in the strict center of North Mitrovica, which were owned by social enterprises, including the large retail chain "Luks," "Trepca," and other public enterprises.

She claims that "Serbs do not participate in the so-called tenders being held, as they are not informed, and they are aware that they will not have the opportunity to lease or purchase the properties at auction because the Agency will always prioritize Albanians."

According to her, the seizure of Serbian property is just a continuation of all the tortures to which Serbs in the north of Kosovo are subjected. "For the elderly citizens, all the unilateral measures by the Pristina authorities have been particularly hard, starting with the abolition of the dinar, the ban on bringing in medicines and Serbian goods, the closure of 'Postanska Stedionica' banks, the Post Office, and others."

"In every possible way, they are removing the conditions for a normal life. We can't withdraw money, buy medicines, get proper medical treatment, and we have no access to products we've been accustomed to our whole lives. They are depriving us of all forms of freedom with the excessive presence of the so-called Kosovo police, and now they are taking away properties built by Serbian enterprises and companies, as well as apartments purchased by Serbs from those companies," says Dusanka Vlahovic, expressing her anger. What is particularly difficult for her, as well as her peers, is having to travel to Raska to withdraw dinars, which is costly and an additional burden for the elderly.

The premises that the Association has occupied since 1999 were previously used by the Slovenian footwear manufacturing company "Planika," but the owner is the retail chain "Luks" from North Mitrovica.

Vlahovic emphasized that the explanation given by the Kosovo Agency for them to vacate the premises was that supposedly a tenant from Slovenia has now shown interest in the premises, even though there had been no interest for a quarter of a century.

"This tactic of allegedly new owners appearing, despite there being documentation about who owns what, is being used by Pristina to attempt to seize Serbian property," the portal reports.