The registration of newborns and deceased individuals has been suspended in the municipality of North Mitrovica, the local administration confirmed to KoSSev.
The directive, issued by the relevant ministry in Pristina, applies to registrations from February 1 onward.
Fatime Stavileci from the Civil Registry Office in North Mitrovica stated that even they are unaware of the reasons behind this decision.
„Registrations of births and deaths have been halted since February 1. Pristina can better explain why this has happened. We don’t know because we weren’t given details—just the order to stop. We also don’t know whether registrations will resume or if a new directive will be issued,“ Stavileci said in a brief conversation.
She could not specify whether the suspension was related to the registration of Serbian document holders, in line with a decision by Kosovo’s Ministry of Internal Affairs last November, or if it applied to all registrations. She referred further inquiries to the relevant ministry.
Stavileci also declined to confirm the exact date when the municipality ceased these registrations.
„I can’t say anything about that; I’m not authorized. Please contact Pristina,“ she stated.
Soon after this news piece was published, Stavileci threatened KoSSev journalist Dragana Vukosavljević with police intervention and legal action because her name was mentioned in this article. Despite previously providing information without restrictions, Stavileci later demanded her name be removed, warning she would come with the police if it wasn’t deleted. Read more: KoSSev Journalist Faces Threats from Municipal Official in North Mitrovica
Lack of Explanation from Authorities
Notably, during a prior conversation on February 25 at the municipal office, Stavileci confirmed that registrations were still being processed at that time.
KoSSev attempted to obtain more information from the two relevant ministries—the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Local Government Administration in Pristina.
A civil servant and later a ministry official referred inquiries to the ministry secretary, who did not respond to calls.
Attempts to contact the secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were also unsuccessful. A woman answered the call but hung up immediately after hearing the introduction in two languages, and the number was subsequently unavailable.
Further efforts to reach the ministry’s public relations officer and Jeta Tela, the chief of staff for Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, were also unsuccessful, as none of them responded to calls.
KoSSev Journalist Faces Threats from Municipal Official in North Mitrovica
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
