Two days after the incident involving a high school student during graduation celebrations in North Mitrovica — and following widespread public condemnation and allegations of police brutality — the Kosovo Police held a press conference in Pristina.
Addressing the media, Kosovo Police Director Gazmend Hoxha stated that the conduct of the officer involved is currently under investigation. He also claimed the officer has received death threats and described the situation as a case of “persecution of a police officer by Serbia.”
During the briefing in Sunday, Hoxha presented multiple photographs of the students involved, including images from the incident itself and moments leading up to it. Among the materials displayed were several close-up images of the high school graduate, including one where a police officer is seen holding the student by the neck.
Photos taken at the police station were also shown, with the student’s eyes obscured “to protect his identity.”
Hoxha asserted that the student in question was not injured and that there were no signs of violence on his neck — only red marker ink.
He stated that the student confirmed this during questioning, in the presence of his parents:
“Even the student, in his statement to the police in the presence of his parents, said that the marks were from a marker — a graduation tradition among students. There were no signs of violence on his neck. Based on the facts and evidence, claims that the student was bleeding are unfounded,” Hoxha said.
High school students who witnessed the incident had already told KoSSev that the red marks were indeed from a marker. However, the source of public outrage, both in Mitrovica and more broadly, was not the red coloring itself — which was immediately identified as non-blood — but the manner in which the police officer physically engaged with the student.
Media reports “inaccurate”?
Hoxha also criticized what he described as “inaccurate” media reporting on the incident, according to Gazeta Express.
Contrary to the claims of the students and in line with statements from Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, Hoxha alleged that the students were the ones who provoked the incident.
“During the parade, some participants began provoking citizens who were sitting in a café by chanting ‘Kosovo is the heart of Serbia’ and making the three-finger gesture. In these circumstances, Kosovo Police officers intervened to prevent escalation between students and the café patrons,” he said.
Arrest warrant as “persecution”
Commenting on Serbia’s issuance of an arrest warrant for the police officer who restrained the student, Hoxha characterized it as an act of “persecution.”
“Members of the Kosovo Police, while performing their duties, are continuously targeted — not only by propaganda but also by threats of arrest from Serbia — simply for doing their job. Yesterday’s announcement of an arrest warrant for our officer, D.B., came in the context of Serbia’s ongoing efforts to pressure and persecute our officers, including those from the Serbian community,” Hoxha said, as quoted by Koha.
He also alleged that Kosovo Police has become the target of “hybrid attacks” originating from official Belgrade.
Death threats
Hoxha revealed that the officer involved in Friday’s incident has received death threats and was relocated to South Mitrovica “to prevent any further incidents.”
He called on the public to refrain from issuing any threats against the officer.
“These threats will be taken seriously, and the police are working in close cooperation with the judiciary,” he stated.
“We will not allow our officers to become targets of unjust and false accusations. At the same time, any action by our officers that exceeds their authority will also be taken seriously. In this case, such concerns have been referred to the Kosovo Police Inspectorate,” Hoxha added.
Officer conduct under review
Over the past few days, several NGOs, as well as the head of EULEX, called on the Kosovo Police Inspectorate to investigate the officer’s conduct.
Today, Hoxha confirmed that an internal investigation is underway.
“Kosovo Police has taken all necessary measures to conduct a thorough investigation, ensuring that all actions and circumstances involving our officers are clarified,” he said.
Addressing the reaction of international actors, Hoxha stated that Kosovo’s partners are “aware that any overreach or misconduct by a Kosovo Police officer is promptly addressed through disciplinary action.”
“All statements and footage captured by surveillance cameras in the area will be carefully reviewed to clarify every detail of the officer’s conduct during this police intervention,” Hoxha concluded.
What Happened on the North Mitrovica Promenade?
Hoxha’s comments arrived in response to events that took place during a traditional graduation parade in North Mitrovica, where students marched through the town accompanied by brass bands.
Tensions reportedly rose when a guest at a local café—owned by an ethnic Albanian—made a hand gesture resembling the double-headed eagle, a symbol often associated with Albanian nationalism.
According to students who spoke to KoSSev, they responded by showing their middle fingers. Police then intervened, and video footage circulating on social media shows an officer grabbing a student by the neck, telling him in Albanian to stop provoking. A brief scuffle ensued between students and police officers.
The incident drew sharp criticism from a range of actors—including EULEX representatives, northern Kosovo politicians, Serbian officials, and NGOs—who accused Kosovo Police of using excessive force.
In contrast, the Kosovo Police in the North defended their response, stating their officers acted appropriately to de-escalate a potentially volatile situation. They argued that the students had been heckling café guests and were asked politely to stop.
Minister Sveçla echoed this account, praising the officers’ conduct and accusing the students of provoking tensions with chants like “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia.”
He posted a video showing young people waving Serbian flags and singing “Vidovdan,” a folk song with strong national and religious connotations—but did not include footage of the incident itself, or the café guest showing the double-headed eagle.
Sveçla also emphasized that Serbian media and political actors are trying to use the recent incident in North Mitrovica for propaganda purposes, portraying a police warning as an act of violence.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia has issued an arrest warrant for Dilot Brahimi, a member of the Kosovo Police, on suspicion that he physically assaulted and injured a Serbian high school student during end-of-school-year celebrations in North Mitrovica.
He will be arrested, authorities say, “as soon as he becomes accessible to Serbian police, from today onward, without statute of limitations, whenever that may be possible.”
At the same time, Serbia’s Ministry of Justice has called for an urgent and impartial international investigation, the “identification and prosecution of the perpetrator,” and for international representatives to “actively engage in the protection of the rights of the Serbian people.” The Ministry also urged them to suspend “political and logistical support to the Kosovo Police until accountability is established and the basic human rights of Serbs are respected.”
Following these reactions Albanian social media users launched a wave of coordinated support posts, sharing the officer’s photo accompanied by the message: “Only Albanian Language.”
The officer himself addressed the public yesterday, stating: “Now more than ever, I am determined to continue serving with integrity, dedication, and honor.”
Read more:
Belgrade High School Students Express Solidarity with Kosovo Serbs Following Mitrovica Incident
Musliu After Mitrovica Incident: Serbian Structures Led by Radoičić Fuel Youth Hatred and Blind..
Sveçla Accuses Serbian Media of Spreading Propaganda Over Mitrovica Incident
Kosovo Police Deny Reports of Protests and Escalation During Graduation Parade in North Mitrovica
Serb NGOs Condemn Police Conduct During Graduation Celebration
Why Did a Police Officer Grab a Graduate by the Neck in North Mitrovica?
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
