Serbs in Kosovo enclave stage protest over arrests

Several hundreds of Serbs protested in the Serb enclave of Gracanica against the arrest of Serbs in Gnjilane and “Kosovo police’s violence against civilians”. European Movement of Serbs in Kosovo NGO President and United Serb List (JSL) MP in the Kosovo assembly Rada Trajkovic and JSL MP Vesna Mikic addressed the protesters. Serbs in Kosovo enclave stage protest over arrests The rally was organized by the European Movement of Serbs in Kosovo NGO. A letter addressed to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was read at the rally. In the letter, the Serbs warned Ashton and Clinton about more frequent attacks of Kosovo Albanian police on the Serbian population, adding that Serb police officers as a rule never took part in the arrest of Serbs. They also added that the arrest of the Serbian police (MUP) members in Gnjilane and repression used by the Kosovo police were not isolated cases and that Kosovo could become mono-ethnic, without Serbs, if such operations continued. The protesting Serbs then organized a protest walk to the Gracanica monastery. Kosovo police special units (ROSU) arrested on February 25 six Serbs from the municipality of Gnjilane, including four Serbian MUP employees from the Gnjilane Police Administration which was relocated to the southern Serbian city of Vranje in 1999 and retired registrar Mladen Dimitrijevic. The arrested men are charged with the “attack on Kosovo’s legal order and obstruction of police officers in the execution of their duty”. The sixth arrested man was released after questioning. The five Serbs were remanded in custody for 30 days and placed in the Pristina and Gnjilane district prisons. Beta

Serbs in Kosovo enclave stage protest over arrests

The rally was organized by the European Movement of Serbs in Kosovo NGO.

A letter addressed to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was read at the rally. In the letter, the Serbs warned Ashton and Clinton about more frequent attacks of Kosovo Albanian police on the Serbian population, adding that Serb police officers as a rule never took part in the arrest of Serbs.

They also added that the arrest of the Serbian police (MUP) members in Gnjilane and repression used by the Kosovo police were not isolated cases and that Kosovo could become mono-ethnic, without Serbs, if such operations continued.

The protesting Serbs then organized a protest walk to the Gračanica monastery.

Kosovo police special units (ROSU) arrested on February 25 six Serbs from the municipality of Gnjilane, including four Serbian MUP employees from the Gnjilane Police Administration which was relocated to the southern Serbian city of Vranje in 1999 and retired registrar Mladen Dimitrijević. The arrested men are charged with the “attack on Kosovo’s legal order and obstruction of police officers in the execution of their duty”. The sixth arrested man was released after questioning.

The five Serbs were remanded in custody for 30 days and placed in the Priština and Gnjilane district prisons.