Serbs from the north: Kurti nourishes all but democracy; the West does not see that he wants us to be gone

Serbs from the north of Kosovo see it as a pure paradox that Albin Kurti constantly boasts about democracy, the rule of law and the protection of minorities and say that the situation on the ground says the opposite of what the Prime Minister of Kosovo claims.

Residents of Leposvic, Kosovska Mitrovica and Zvecan with whom Kosovo Online reporters spoke say that the situation has worsened especially since Kurti was in power, and point out that Serbs face daily pressures, unfounded arrests, threats, attacks on property.

For Ratomir Vukasinovic from Leposavic, there is no dilemma - under Kurti there is no democracy in Kosovo.

"There is no a single trait of democracy. What kind of democracy is it when he doesn't allow anything that the Serbs need? As for those from the West, they don't have eyes at all, they don't see it, Kurti can do whatever he wants, they turn a deaf ear to everything he does, they don't accept anything the Serbs say. We looked at the municipality of Leposavic, not a single document can be taken because the government is under the administration of Kurti. For three months, municipal workers cannot come to their workplaces, let alone perform their work. It's a horror when it comes to democracy. Terrible, really," says Vukasinovic.

The citizens of Zvecan and North Mitrovica share a similar opinion, saying that the messages of the Prime Minister of Kosovo are not grounded in reality.

Thus, a pensioner from Zvecani says that, for example, Serbs are not allowed to move alone at night and asks what kind of democracy that is.

"Democracy is that I can sleep on the side of the road at night and no one touches me. And what kind of democracy is it when I have to hide from the police, when they drive by. What do they do here in the north? We used to be in bars together, drinking, ate, hung out and now we can't look at each other. What kind of democracy is this? There is no democracy, neither here nor there. I say what I think, you can put me in jail if you have to. We are waiting to see what they will say until the end of the month, what will happen, if nothing else, let's run or shoot," says this resident of Zvecan.

A resident of North Mitrovica bitterly says that Serbs in Kosovo live in a ghetto.

"I wouldn't want to say what I think about Kurti, because it wouldn't be polite to express myself that way. What can I think about the situation? We live in a ghetto," she says.

And a retired resident of Zvecan says that Kurti's "democracy" is such that it can't get any worse.

"He is doing everything just to destroy this Serbian people. Together with the special units, they are working to drive us away and destroy us," says our interlocutor.