Northern NGOs: International organizations should address the issue of police torture against Serbs in Kosovo

A group of non-governmental organizations from North Mitrovica, responding to police torture inflicted on their fellow citizen Milos Subotic, is appealing to international organizations and diplomatic missions to address this issue structurally, as they believe this case is just one among many that indicate a systematic use of torture and excessive force in northern Kosovo.

In a statement to the public, they noted that, following the response from the EULEX mission regarding Subotic's case, they acknowledge this initial step toward establishing accountability for police torture against Subotic and eagerly await further reports from the Police Inspectorate on the matter.

They remind EULEX that only the public release of reports can have a corrective effect and, therefore, call for regular public updates on the mission’s findings in this case.

“The practice of internally presenting reports solely to the institutions responsible for violating citizens' rights, especially following recent events in the north, has proven inadequate and does not contribute to achieving EULEX’s mission goals,” the statement says.

They urge the Council of Europe Office in Kosovo to include, in its reports on police torture in northern Kosovo, information for all member states of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and to bring up the issue of systemic police abuse against minority groups in Kosovo in discussions on Kosovo’s potential membership in the organization.

They also call on the European Union to include incidents of police torture against Serbian citizens in its annual report on Kosovo’s progress toward EU membership and to provide resources for strengthening civilian oversight of the police force through its mechanisms.

Regarding the United States, they request that the US Department of State highlight instances of excessive use of force by the Kosovo police in its annual human rights report on Kosovo and urge the Government of Kosovo to take immediate and concrete steps to establish ethnic balance in police structures in line with constitutional principles.

“We call on international organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to incorporate parameters on police conduct toward minority communities in Kosovo into their assessments of democracy and to integrate findings on these practices into Kosovo’s evaluations. Furthermore, we urge other international missions in Kosovo, including OSCE, UNMIK, and OHCHR, to intensify efforts in monitoring police conduct toward minority communities and to report on this regularly to the public,” the statement says.

The statement is signed by the Center for Affirmative Social Action (CASA), New Social Initiative (NSI), Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC), Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER), and NGO Aktiv.