Protest held in Kosovo over arrest of five Serbs

In Pasjan, the largest Serb village in Kosovo, several hundred people held a protest over the recent arrests of five Serbs suspected of alleged war crimes.

Protesters argued that the arrests were made without a court order, 25 years after the war. They also pointed out that none of the accused had left Kosovo following the conflict, as they had committed no crimes.

The demonstrators said the arrests are meant to cause fear and drive Serbs out of Kosovo and called on EULEX and KFOR to carry out their mandates, stop political actions against Serbs, and demand the release of those detained.

On August 3, the Basic Court in Pristina ordered a one-month detention for the five Serbs on suspicion of war crimes allegedly committed on April 5, 1999.

The individuals arrested are Dragan Nicic, Dragan Cvetkovic, Slobodan Jevtic, and Milca Sosic from Pasjan near Gnjilane, and Nenad Stojanovic from the village of Bosce near Kosovska Kamenica.

The Kosovo Special Prosecution Office said they were arrested following a months-long investigation.

“There is reasonable suspicion that they, along with other unidentified individuals, armed and dressed in camouflage and irregular Serbian police or army uniforms, carried out operations in the villages of Kokaj, Lovce, Podgradje, and Ugljare in the early morning hours of April 5, 1999,” the Prosecutor's Office stated, as reported by Radio Kim.