Serb List: Removal of flags in Gracanica is a direct violation of the fundamental rights of the Serbian people

The Serb List condemned the removal of Serbian flags in Gracanica and called for a reaction from the international community, stating that this is a politically motivated decision by the regime of Albin Kurti.

“Serb List most strongly condemns the actions of the Kosovo Police, which, on the orders of Kurti’s minister Elbert Krasniqi, is removing Serbian flags from public spaces in Gracanica and other areas inhabited by the Serbian people on the eve of the most joyous Christian holiday, Easter. Such conduct represents a direct violation of the fundamental human rights of the Serbian people, including the right to freedom of expression and the right to preserve and publicly manifest national identity, as guaranteed by numerous international instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and other conventions governing the protection of peoples’ identity,” the statement reads.

Serb List emphasizes that it is unacceptable and hypocritical that, at the same time, Albanian national flags are displayed freely throughout Kosovo, even in front of Kurti in the assembly hall in Pristina, while the Serbian people are denied the same right.

“Such selective application of rules clearly demonstrates that institutional discrimination against Serbs is taking place. It is evident that such moves constitute politically motivated decisions by the regime of Albin Kurti, in which his minister—himself a member of a non-majority community—carries out pressure against the Serbian people instead of protecting the rights of all communities, serving as a prelude to new extraordinary elections,” they stated.

Serb List demands an urgent and unequivocal reaction from the international community, primarily the European Union, the Quint countries, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, as well as all relevant international organizations, to clearly condemn this gross violation of the rights of the Serbian people and demand its immediate cessation.

“The Serbian people have an inalienable right to freely express their identity, including the display of their national symbols, and no one has the right to deny them that. Serb List will continue to fight, through all democratic and political means, to protect the rights of the Serbian people and calls for a clear reaction from international representatives to this flagrant violation of their rights,” the statement concludes.

New Serbian flags, which were put up today in Gracanica ahead of Easter, are being removed this evening with the assistance of the Kosovo Police.

The Mayor of Gracanica, Novak Zivic, stated that this represents yet another form of pressure on Serbs.