Kosovo police unit handcuffs 16-year-old

A Kosovo police (KPS) unit raided Serb homes near the town of Gnjilane at 05:00 CET today, handcuffing a 16-year-old girl and brutally beating seven men. An elderly man identified with his initials as S.Z. suffered the most serious injuries, the health-care center (KBC) in the enclave of Gracanica stated on its website. A Beta news agency report earlier in the day said that the victim was "a six-year-old". Kosovo police unit handcuffs 16-year-old The hospital added that handcuffing and holding the child down on the floor was an example of particular brutality, and described it as "bestiality unrecorded in Europe's modern history". The hospital's administration condemned the move of the ethnic Albanian authorities in Pristina and called on "all humane people" to stop the abuse of the children and the elderly whose only crime was that they belonged to a different ethnic community. The statement did not clarify if the incidents it described were connected to brutal raids aimed against Serbs in Kosovsko Pomoravlje Dist, carried out by KPS's ROSU unit . Serb homes were searched, while several people were arrested. The district chief Dragan Nikolic told Tanjug that one person was beaten, while four were arrested, while the Gracanica Healthcare Center Director Radmila Trajkovic said that six Serbs were brutally beaten and then arrested. According to her, the Serbs were residents of the village of Pasjane near Gnilane. Trajkovic specified that the men were unarmed and were not resisting the arrest, but that they and their family members were nevertheless mistreated. Some of those injured suffered serious wounds, she noted. "Afterwards, in the village of Silovo, elderly S.Z. was brutally beaten in his home, while his house was ransacked. He was left lying on the floor seriously injured. The innocent old man was transported to the KBC Gracanica in an ambulance and is currently receiving treatment," Trajkovic said. KPS, in the meantime, said that six persons employed by the Serbian MUP were arrested in the area of Gnjilane. They were identified as Z. Denic, M. Dimitrievic, T. Denic, N. Trajkovic, D. Stojkovic i G. Matrapazovic. They are currently held in 48-hour custody, it was said in Pristina. According to the KPS, the suspects were in possession of "one M48 sniper rifle, one air gun, TT 762 mm pistol, 473 bullets of 7,62 caliber, two police uniforms, four laptops, two computer system units, and five ID cards issued by the MUP of Serbia". The arrested persons are suspected of "infringement of Kosovo's constitution and laws and obstruction of police operation", it was said in a KPS statement. In Belgrade, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told reporters that four ministry members were arrested near Gnjilane. He clarified that the persons in question worked in Vranje, central Serbia, and lived in the province. After the 1999 war, some police directorates were moved from Kosovo to several central Serbian towns. Dacic described the incidents as "Pristina's provocation", and said "reciprocal measures" would be taken unless the situation was clarified withing 48 hours. "In the context of reciprocal measures", said reports, Dacic revealed that some KPS members who took part in illegal actions of Hashim Thaci's regime to take over administrative crossings live in central Serbian towns of Raska, Nis and Vranje. “Serbia did not take any repressive measures against them back then. Serbia's police officers do not work in Kosovo, moreover the fact that some people live in Kosovo and Methoja but work in Vranje is not a reason to curtail one's freedom,” Dacic said in a statement for Tanjug. "Obviously, it does not suit the Pristina authorities when agreements are made," he said, in reference of Friday's deal in Brussels on regional representation of Kosovo, and continued: "This is especially true when those agreements are opposite to what they were saying, and when it is obvious that, in relation to other participants, Kosovo will be represented asymmetrically in regional bodies, and with a clear note that this was based on (UNSC) Resolution 1244". Dacic concluded by predicting that similar provocations can be expected in the coming days, "aimed at destabilizing the situation and collapsing all the agreements that have been reached", and that this was "in line with a letter sent by Pristina to EU member-states urging them not to make Serbia candidate for membership". (FoNet, file) Beta Tanjug

Kosovo police unit handcuffs 16-year-old

The hospital added that handcuffing and holding the child down on the floor was an example of particular brutality, and described it as "bestiality unrecorded in Europe's modern history".

The hospital's administration condemned the move of the ethnic Albanian authorities in Priština and called on "all humane people" to stop the abuse of the children and the elderly whose only crime was that they belonged to a different ethnic community.

The statement did not clarify if the incidents it described were connected to brutal raids aimed against Serbs in Kosovsko Pomoravlje Dist, carried out by KPS's ROSU unit .

Serb homes were searched, while several people were arrested.

The district chief Dragan Nikolić told Tanjug that one person was beaten, while four were arrested, while the Gračanica Healthcare Center Director Radmila Trajković said that six Serbs were brutally beaten and then arrested.

According to her, the Serbs were residents of the village of Pasjane near Gnilane. Trajković specified that the men were unarmed and were not resisting the arrest, but that they and their family members were nevertheless mistreated.

Some of those injured suffered serious wounds, she noted.

"Afterwards, in the village of Šilovo, elderly S.Ž. was brutally beaten in his home, while his house was ransacked. He was left lying on the floor seriously injured. The innocent old man was transported to the KBC Gračanica in an ambulance and is currently receiving treatment," Trajković said.

KPS, in the meantime, said that six persons employed by the Serbian MUP were arrested in the area of Gnjilane.

They were identified as Z. Denić, M. Dimitriević, T. Denić, N. Trajković, D. Stojković i G. Matrapazović.

They are currently held in 48-hour custody, it was said in Priština.

According to the KPS, the suspects were in possession of "one M48 sniper rifle, one air gun, TT 762 mm pistol, 473 bullets of 7,62 caliber, two police uniforms, four laptops, two computer system units, and five ID cards issued by the MUP of Serbia".

The arrested persons are suspected of "infringement of Kosovo's constitution and laws and obstruction of police operation", it was said in a KPS statement.

In Belgrade, Interior Minister Ivica Dačić told reporters that four ministry members were arrested near Gnjilane. He clarified that the persons in question worked in Vranje, central Serbia, and lived in the province.

After the 1999 war, some police directorates were moved from Kosovo to several central Serbian towns.

Dačić described the incidents as "Priština's provocation", and said "reciprocal measures" would be taken unless the situation was clarified withing 48 hours.

"In the context of reciprocal measures", said reports, Dačić revealed that some KPS members who took part in illegal actions of Hashim Thaci's regime to take over administrative crossings live in central Serbian towns of Raška, Niš and Vranje.

“Serbia did not take any repressive measures against them back then. Serbia's police officers do not work in Kosovo, moreover the fact that some people live in Kosovo and Methoja but work in Vranje is not a reason to curtail one's freedom,” Dačić said in a statement for Tanjug.

"Obviously, it does not suit the Priština authorities when agreements are made," he said, in reference of Friday's deal in Brussels on regional representation of Kosovo, and continued:

"This is especially true when those agreements are opposite to what they were saying, and when it is obvious that, in relation to other participants, Kosovo will be represented asymmetrically in regional bodies, and with a clear note that this was based on (UNSC) Resolution 1244".

Dačić concluded by predicting that similar provocations can be expected in the coming days, "aimed at destabilizing the situation and collapsing all the agreements that have been reached", and that this was "in line with a letter sent by Priština to EU member-states urging them not to make Serbia candidate for membership".