Kosovo Serb court staff on strike

NEWS 25.08.202120:01
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Serb Basic Court staff in the north of Kosovo went on Strike on Wednesday, the KoSSev news portal reported adding that the strike was called to protest a ruling by the appeals court in Pristina confirming a prison sentence for a Serb List official.

Serb List official Ivan Todosijevic was sentenced in 2019 to two years in jail by the Basic Court in Pristina for saying that the NATO air campaign against what was FR Yugoslavia in 1999 was over a “so-called humanitarian catastrophe and fictional Racak incident”. That incident took place in the village of Racak before the NATO air strikes. OSCE observers headed by US official William Walker found bodies in the village following an exchange of fire with the Serbian police and declared the incident an atrocity committed against civilians.

Court staff in North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok, and Leposavic went on strike, ACDC NGO chief Dusan Radakovic told KoSSev. He could not name the organizers, saying that he was told by two judges that co-workers told them by phone on Tuesday night not to go to work.

Albanian language media in Pristina reported that Serb judges in courts south of the Ibar River also went on strike.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic condemned the Appeals Court ruling saying that the sentence violated Todosijevic’s right to free speech and a fair trial while the Serb List said it would review its decision to stand in coming local elections.