Three Kosovo Albanians, one of whom was already wanted to serve a prison sentence, were detained on suspicion of attacking a Serb - the latest of several recent assaults on members of the Serb minority in the country.
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 1 a.m. 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 Prishtina 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 municipality, while coming back from cattle grazing. The Basic Prosecutor’s Office in 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 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.
18 August 2021 - 15:04
