Kosovo's special prosecutor's office and Kosovo police have arrested five ethnic Serbs from the Pomerania region, charging them with war crimes committed during the 1999 war.
Charges related to violent acts, including murder, arson and sexual assaults against Albanian civilians, have been brought against the detainees, KoSSev reported.
The arrests caused serious controversy. Serbian officials, including the interior ministry, condemned the move as a form of collective punishment aimed at the Serbian community. They claim that those detained are innocent local residents who are being unfairly targeted because of their ethnicity and the upcoming election cycle. Serbian authorities say these actions threaten the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and are calling on international bodies to intervene.
Lawyers representing the detained Serbs dispute the charges, saying they are baseless. They asked for a lighter pretrial detention measure, citing their clients' advanced age and poor health. Bail was offered at €10,000 and the defense team argued that the detention was an excessive and unjust measure.
The Rashko-Prizren Diocese also expressed concern about the arrests. The diocese maintained the innocence of those detained and suggested the arrests may have been politically motivated. That view is in line with broader criticism from Serbian officials, including President Aleksandar Vucic, who has condemned the actions as part of a larger pattern of Western hypocrisy and double standards.
In response to the detentions, Vucic called for more international support to counter what he described as unjust practices against Serbs in Kosovo.
He accused international representatives of turning a blind eye to the plight of the Serbian community and promised to engage in discussions with international stakeholders to resolve these issues. | BGNES
