The arrest of Srecko Sofronijevic on April 13, 2024, a Kosovo Serb residing in Zvecan, has once again stirred apprehension regarding the actions of the Kosovo government, despite prior assurances provided to the United States in 2022 vowing that “no lists of Kosovo Serb citizens to be arrested or prosecuted for peaceful protests/barricades exist.”
On December 28, 2022, Vedant Patel, the State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson reiterated that the US would support the European Union through its Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), in accordance with its mandate.
“This includes, in particular, fair trial guarantees, as well as protection and equal treatment for members of non-majority communities in Kosovo,” said Patel.
At that time, Serbs in northern Kosovo had maintained barricades for approximately three weeks, demanding the release of the Kosovo Serb police officer Dejan Pantic and other Serbian citizens apprehended by Kosovo Police.
Following assurances from the US and the EU, Serbian President Vucic, engaged with the Serbian ethnic minority in Kosovo, urging them to end the protest and remove the barricades, actions they subsequently undertook.
“We have received guarantees from the United States and European Union that none of the Serbs in Kosovo who participated in protests and who took part in barricades will be prosecuted or arrested,” stated Petar Petkovic, head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija during a press briefing on December 28, 2022.
DEMANDS FOR FAIR TREATMENT OF KOSOVO SERBS
In a dramatic turn of events on April 13, 2024, approximately a year and three months later, Srecko Sofronijevic, a Kosovo Serb, was apprehended at the Brnjak administrative crossing.
According to statements from the Office of Kosovo and Metohija, the arrest of Sofronijevic signifies a troubling trend of persecution against the Serbian population “while both the European Union and the USA passively watch the persecution of the Serbian people, pretending that December 28, 2022, never happened.”
Office for Kosovo and Metohija expressed frustration over the US and the EU allowing PM Kurti to “trample on the agreements and accords they themselves brought and guaranteed.”
The events leading to Sofronijevic’s arrest trace back to October 2021 when he sustained severe injuries inflicted by the Kosovo Police (ROSU). Despite enduring undergoing months of recovery, Sofronijević was unexpectedly detained on April 13, 2024, “with no explanation,” as per reports from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.
His wife, accompanied by their two children in the car at the time of the arrest, recounted to Kosovo Online the distressing experience.
“Unexpectedly, they told him to get out of the vehicle. Our children were with us, a boy and a girl. It took a long time, two whole hours, until I received information that he was going south. They didn’t tell me why. It was stressful for the children,” she expressed.
The Kosovo Police maintain that Sofronijević’s detention is linked to the events of 2021. The Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Police Veton Elshani stated that the Kosovo Serb has been arrested on suspicion of “attempting to overthrow the constitutional order of Kosovo.”
Sofronijevic’s wife asserted his innocence, referencing a previous shooting incident involving ROSU police in 2021.
“He is not guilty of anything he is accused of. We survived his shooting by members of the ROSU police on October 13, 2021…. My children relived the same thing today,” she said.
According to the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Sofronijevic had spent months recuperating from the wounds inflicted when he was shot by the Kosovo Police (ROSU) in October 2021. The incident occurred as ROSU dispersed tear gas in the neighborhood, and Sofronijevic was attempting to aid a child at the time. Since then, Sofronijevic had continued to reside in Kosovo’s north until his arrest on April 13, 2024.
“Today’s detention is a continuation of intimidation and provocations he is subjected to in order to leave his home, and to send a message to the Serbian people in these areas that they will never have peace as long as Kurti is in power,” stated an official from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.
“We demand that the international community engage and oversee the case of the arrested Sofronijević, as Pristina does not guarantee or respect any rights for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija,” urged the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, appealing to the EU and the US.
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