Igor Popović, assistant to the director of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija, was detained at the Brnjak border crossing on Friday and placed in 48-hour custody. He is under investigation for “incitement to hatred,” Kosovo Police confirmed to KoSSev.
His detention follows a speech he gave in Velika Hoca during a memorial service for Serbs killed and abducted in the municipality of Orahovac between 1998 and 2000. Popović accused the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) of targeting Serbs with the goal of ethnic cleansing and expressed frustration over the lack of justice.
“Our brothers were murdered because KLA terrorists did not want Serbs here,” he said.
“By abducting and executing them, they aimed to frighten the rest of the Serbian population into leaving. What also hurts is that the terrorists, the organizers, and the perpetrators of the crime have never been found or punished all these years — despite the presence of international troops, UNMIK, EULEX, and the Hague Tribunal. Meanwhile, we see that for a similar crime — the abduction of Israeli civilians — the entire Gaza Strip is being destroyed, and the international community considers that justified. Yet in our case, no one has been tried or held accountable, and the KLA is still declared a liberation army and its members freedom fighters.“
Popović went on to describe efforts to force Serbs out of Metohija region and praised communities like Zociste and Gorazdevac that managed to survive, along with those that have returned. He said that ensuring the survival and return of Serbs is the mission of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.
According to multiple reports in Pristina-based media outlets, Popović was detained precisely because of these remarks.
Sveçla: No Tolerance for Incitement
Kosovo’s acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, confirmed the reports, stating that Popović’s comments incited hatred and deepened interethnic divisions.
“In his speech, he referred to the Kosovo Liberation Army as a terrorist organization and compared its actions to serious events in world history,” Sveçla wrote in a Facebook post.
He did not offer further details on the case but noted that measures will be taken “in accordance with the laws of our country.”
Sveçla emphasized that Kosovo “will not tolerate provocations,” stressing that it is a democratic and sovereign state.
“We have not violated any other state, nor provoked the citizens of another state, and we will not allow such actions against us. We will not tolerate insults or the desecration of our history, especially our liberation war led by the KLA,” he said, adding that this chapter of Kosovo’s past is “respected by the entire progressive world.”
Sveçla further accused Serbian officials of promoting divisive and false narratives modeled after Slobodan Milošević, claiming such rhetoric is harmful and incompatible with international norms and good-neighborly relations.
Kosovo Office: Popović Called Things by Their Name
Responding to Popović’s detention, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of being behind the move. In a statement, they asserted that Popović was detained solely for naming those responsible for crimes against Serbs and Roma in July 1998.
“He was detained because he dared to name those who killed 47 Serbs and Roma and abducted over a hundred innocent people,” the statement said. “Kurti’s actions are yet another attempt to provoke a crisis on the ground and to send a message to Serbs that there is no peace or justice for them.”
Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petković informed officials in Brussels of the incident and demanded Popović’s immediate release, as well as protection from international missions operating in Kosovo.
KP: Popović Under Investigation for “Incitement to Hatred”
Kosovo Police in the North Region confirmed Popović’s arrest at Brnjak and his subsequent questioning in North Mitrovica. Late Friday evening, police confirmed that a 48-hour detention order had been issued and that Popović was under investigation for “incitement to hatred.”
Police have not yet disclosed the specific reasoning behind the detention or other case details.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
