Kosovo Arrests Three Suspects for Attack on Serb
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The Serb-dominated northern part of the divided town of Mitrovica. Photo: EPA-EFE/VALDRIN XHEMAJ.
Kosovo police have detained three people over an attack on a young Kosovo Serb in the northern part of the ethnically-divided town of Mitrovica on Tuesday morning.
Police said that one of the suspects who was arrested, identified only by the initials E.A., is a Kosovo Albanian who is on the wanted list to serve a prison sentence, news website KosSev reported.
The attack on the Serb, who was identified only by the initials M.D., happened around 1am on Tuesday, when three people inflicted injuries to his arm and eye.
Police said the victim was transferred to hospital, where he was diagnosed with “minor bodily injuries” but kept in for further observation.
The Serbian government’s office for Kosovo said in a press release that “this attack, as well as a series of similar incidents to which Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija have been exposed since the beginning of the year, is a reflection of the irresponsible messages and actions of politicians from Pristina who encourage intolerance towards our people and draw a target on Serbs’ foreheads”.
It claimed that one of the attackers is a member of the Kosovo Security Force.
Kosovo police and the Mitrovica prosecution did not respond to BIRN’s request for a comment by the time of publication.
The assault in Mitrovica was the fourth reported crime against a member of the Serb minority in the past 30 days in the country, where ethnic tensions have persisted since the 1998-99 war.
On August 10, a Serb identified only by the initials N.P. was attacked in the village of Zebince in the Novo Brdo/Novaberda municipality, while coming back from cattle grazing. The Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Gnjilane/Gjilan announced that it had opened an investigation.
On July 30, police arrested a suspect identified only by the initials A.O. for committing burglary at the apartment of the first and only Serb post-war returnee to the town of Djakovica/Gjakove, Dragica Gasic. Gasic has also been subjected to various threats since she returned in early July.
In another incident on July 13, Kosovo police reported that a Serb identified only by the initials R.B. in the village of Dolac, near Klina, reported that he had been attacked and beaten up on the way to his property.
