Kosovo authorities have arrested four Serbian nationals — three of them active members of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) and one a retired police officer — over the past two days at administrative border crossings/IBMs Brnjak, Jarinje, and Koncul. The arrests have sparked sharp condemnation from the Serbian Office for Kosovo and Metohija, which denounced the actions as „politically motivated retaliation against the Serbian people.“
According to the acting director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, the detentions occurred separately on June 13 and 14.
At Brnjak crossing last night, N.V. (26), a serving MUP officer, and M.S. (53), a retired police officer, were apprehended. This morning, M.M. (28), also with MUP, was detained at Jarinje, while A.M. (36), a third Serbian police officer, was stopped at Koncul.
All four individuals are currently being held in detention, the Office confirmed, and they will receive free legal assistance. The Office also stated that international actors, including EU special representative for dialogue Peter Sorensen, will be notified.
“The arrests were carried out without any legal grounds or justification,” the Office said, adding that it views the detentions as „a politically motivated act of reprisal targeting the Serbian population.“
In a move that has sparked criticism from Belgrade, Kosovo’s acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, announced today that the government has stripped Nikola Vujović — reportedly one of the men arrested at Brnjak — of his Kosovo citizenship. Though official confirmation linking Vujović to last night’s arrest remains absent, KoSSev has independently learned that the name matches one of the detainees.
Sveçla stated via Facebook:
„Based on the relevant citizenship legislation, by-laws, and recommendations of competent institutions, I made the decision to revoke the citizenship of Nikola Vujović, a member of Serbian police forces, for threatening our national security.“
He further accused Serbia of “systematically destabilizing Kosovo” by integrating Kosovo citizens into Serbian security and intelligence structures — an act he said is illegal and poses a national security threat.
„We cannot and will not tolerate any threats to the security of the Republic of Kosovo. Kosovo is home to all its citizens, but no one must become a tool for undermining its statehood,“ Sveçla said.
The Office for Kosovo and Metohija harshly criticized the move, calling the revocation of citizenship “an unprecedented and escalatory act by Albin Kurti’s administration aimed at destabilizing the region and undermining interethnic relations.” It also claimed the purpose of the actions is to restore Kurti’s political standing “at the expense of the Serbian people.”
Referring to the separate indictment against Srpska Lista Presidency member Slavko Simić, the Office described recent actions as “an orchestrated attempt to criminalize genuine representatives of the Serbian people and outlaw Srpska Lista — a long-standing personal obsession of Albin Kurti.”
„The attack on Simić is an attack on every Serb who holds their identity dear,“ the statement concluded, adding that the arrests are “arbitrary and dangerous,” and urging a “clear and unequivocal response from the international community.”
Simić was recently indicted over an alleged assault on journalists during an incident that occurred two years ago — a move that was welcomed by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, which described it as an important step toward protecting media freedom and ensuring accountability.
Neither Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs nor the Kosovo Police have publicly commented on the incidents. Notably, the Kosovo Police’s 24-hour incident report does not mention any of the arrests.
The developments come on the heels of the June 7 arrest of Arbnor Spahiu, a former member of the KLA and Kosovo Special Police, by Serbian authorities at the Horgoš crossing. Spahiu was taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in a murder related to the Banjska case. His detention prompted strong reactions from Pristina and is widely viewed as the possible catalyst for the latest series of arrests.
Despite multiple inquiries, KoSSev has been unable to independently confirm the full circumstances surrounding the detentions, and no official sources have provided clarification since reports first emerged on June 13.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
