Owners claim the demolition was carried out while court proceedings over the property’s ownership were still pending, while Kosovo authorities insist the building stood illegally on public land and that the campaign against unlawful construction will continue.
By KoSSev
The demolition of the „Jezero“ Hotel on the shores of Lake Gazivode on Wednesday marked the latest escalation in Kosovo authorities’ campaign against what they describe as illegal construction on publicly owned land in the country’s Serb-majority north.
Heavy machinery reduced the once well-known lakeside hotel to rubble within hours, as Kosovo Police secured the area while employees of the public water management company Ibar-Lepenac carried out the operation.
The demolition immediately triggered sharp legal and political disputes. While Kosovo institutions insist the building had been constructed illegally on land owned by Ibar-Lepenac, the owners argue that the case is already before the courts and that the demolition was conducted before judges had an opportunity to rule on their claims.
The case has since drawn reactions from Belgrade officials, civil society organizations in northern Kosovo and public commentators, adding another layer to an already sensitive dispute surrounding Lake Gazivode—known in Albanian as Lake Ujman—one of Kosovo’s most strategically important reservoirs.
A decades-old hotel demolished
The Jezero Hotel stood on the shores of Lake Gazivode for decades and was widely known among visitors to northern Kosovo. On Wednesday morning, machinery arrived at the site accompanied by Kosovo Police officers, who secured the perimeter while workers from Ibar-Lepenac began dismantling the building.
By the afternoon, most of the structure had been demolished.
The operation formed part of a broader campaign launched by Kosovo authorities in late June targeting what they describe as illegally constructed buildings along the shores of Lake Gazivode.
According to acting Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure Fitore Pacolli, authorities have so far demolished 17 structures around the lake and intend to continue the operation „without compromise.“
Authorities: Public land must be protected
The operation was carried out by the publicly owned company Ibar-Lepenac, which manages Kosovo’s most important water supply system, including Lake Gazivode.
Company chief executive Faruk Mujka said the hotel occupied land registered as the company’s property and that its owners had ignored repeated notices ordering them to remove the structure voluntarily.
According to Mujka, the demolition followed decisions taken by Kosovo’s environmental inspectorate, while police were present solely to maintain public order.
Kosovo Police likewise stressed that officers did not conduct the demolition itself.
Instead, police said their role was limited to providing assistance to the competent institutions carrying out the operation, in accordance with legal requests for support.
Owners dispute legality, not only ownership
For the Jakšić family, however, Wednesday’s demolition represents far more than the removal of an allegedly illegal building.
They argue that the dispute is fundamentally about the legality of ownership changes carried out years earlier rather than whether the hotel itself existed.
According to the family, they are not disputing the current cadastral registration itself, but the legality of the 2018 transfer through which ownership of the land was registered to Ibar-Lepenac. They maintain that this issue is currently before the courts and should have been resolved before any demolition could proceed.
Their lawsuit challenges the ownership transfer, while additional criminal complaints and requests for interim judicial protection have also been submitted.
A court hearing in the civil proceedings is scheduled for 12 August.
The family says the demolition effectively rendered those proceedings meaningless before the court had the opportunity to examine the merits of the case.
„We are not moving“
Watching the demolition unfold from nearby, members of the Jakšić family insisted they had never refused to resolve the dispute through legal channels and accused Kosovo institutions of acting before the courts had reached a decision.
„We are not going anywhere. This is our home,“ said Jordan Jakšić, speaking to KoSSev as excavators tore through the building.
The family argues that the central issue is not whether the hotel currently appears in cadastral records under Ibar-Lepenac’s ownership, but whether that ownership was lawfully established in the first place.
According to them, the land on which the hotel stood had been used and maintained by the family for decades before ownership was transferred to the publicly owned company in 2018.
„We are challenging the legality of that transfer,“ family members said, stressing that the cadastral registration itself is not what they dispute. „We are asking the court to determine whether the ownership was lawfully changed.“
The family has filed a civil lawsuit contesting the ownership transfer, a criminal complaint concerning the circumstances under which it was carried out, and a request for an interim court measure intended to prevent irreversible actions until the dispute is resolved.
Despite those proceedings, the demolition went ahead.
„Our court hearing is scheduled for 12 August. Instead of allowing the court to decide, they demolished the hotel.“
„Force, not law“
Aleksandar Jakšić, one of the owners, described Wednesday’s events as an example of institutions replacing judicial procedure with administrative force.
„This is not law. This is force,“ he told KoSSev.
He rejected suggestions that the family had ignored official procedures, saying they had consistently sought judicial protection and had informed institutions that litigation was underway.
According to Jakšić, the demolition effectively deprived the family of meaningful judicial protection.
„If the building no longer exists before the court decides whether the ownership transfer was lawful, then what exactly is the court deciding?“ he asked.
The family maintains that even if the court were eventually to rule in their favor, the destruction of the hotel cannot simply be reversed.
For them, Wednesday’s operation represents what they describe as irreversible damage carried out before the legal process had run its course.
Long legal battle
The dispute surrounding the Jezero Hotel did not begin this week.
According to court documents reviewed by KoSSev and statements provided by the family, the ownership dispute has been ongoing for years.
The legal proceedings focus on whether the 2018 registration transferring the property to Ibar-Lepenac complied with applicable legal procedures.
The family argues that administrative decisions affecting ownership should not have been enforced while the courts were still examining the case.
Their legal representatives have also sought interim judicial protection aimed at preserving the existing situation until a final ruling is issued.
No court has yet ruled on the merits of the ownership dispute.
Nevertheless, the demolition proceeded before the first substantive hearing, currently scheduled for 12 August.
A wider dispute over Gazivode
For the Jakšić family, the demolition extends beyond the loss of a hotel.
They view it as part of a broader dispute over property rights around Lake Gazivode, where Kosovo authorities have intensified efforts in recent weeks to remove structures they classify as illegally built on public land.
Authorities present the campaign as an effort to restore legality and protect public resources.
Affected property owners argue that individual cases differ substantially and that unresolved legal disputes should be settled in court before demolition orders are enforced.
As excavators continued clearing the site on Wednesday, the disagreement over ownership remained unresolved — but the building at the center of that dispute was already gone.
Authorities defend demolition as lawful
Kosovo authorities reject the owners’ claims, insisting that the demolition was carried out in accordance with the law and formed part of a broader campaign against illegal construction around Lake Gazivode.
The operation was conducted by the public water management company Ibar-Lepenac, which maintains that the Jezero Hotel stood on land legally registered as the company’s property.
Speaking to Dukagjini TV after the demolition, Ibar-Lepenac’s chief executive Faruk Mujka said the company had acted only after a lengthy administrative process and repeated warnings to the owners.
According to Mujka, the owners had been notified on several occasions that the building had to be removed voluntarily but failed to comply.
„They were informed, they had sufficient time, but they did not act. We therefore proceeded in accordance with the decisions of the competent institutions,“ Mujka said.
He rejected allegations that the demolition was arbitrary, arguing that the company merely enforced decisions adopted by the relevant authorities.
Mujka also dismissed claims that the pending court proceedings prevented the demolition from taking place.
„The property is registered to Ibar-Lepenac. We acted on the basis of legally valid documentation and the decisions of the competent inspectorate,“ he said.
Police: We did not demolish the building
As excavators were tearing down the hotel, Kosovo Police officers secured the site, prompting criticism from the owners and political representatives in Belgrade.
Police, however, stressed that they were not responsible for the demolition itself.
In a statement provided to KoSSev, Kosovo Police said officers had been deployed solely to assist the competent institutions responsible for carrying out the operation and to maintain public order.
„The Kosovo Police did not carry out the demolition. Our role was limited to providing assistance to the competent authorities in accordance with our legal responsibilities,“ police said.
The statement echoed the explanation police have given during previous demolition operations around Lake Gazivode over the past month.
Government: Demolitions will continue
Later in the day, acting Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure Fitore Pacolli said authorities had so far demolished 17 illegally constructed buildings around Lake Gazivode.
She described the campaign as part of efforts to restore legality on public property and announced that further demolitions would follow.
„The action continues without compromise,“ Pacolli said.
According to the ministry, the structures targeted in recent weeks were built without the required permits on land belonging to public institutions.
Officials argue that allowing such buildings to remain would undermine the rule of law and encourage further illegal construction.
Part of a broader campaign
The demolition of the Jezero Hotel did not take place in isolation.
Kosovo authorities launched the operation around Lake Gazivode in late June, initially targeting illegally built holiday homes before expanding the campaign to larger structures.
Officials have consistently described the initiative as an environmental and legal enforcement action aimed at protecting public property and one of Kosovo’s most important water resources.
Critics, however, argue that the campaign has focused almost exclusively on the Serb-majority north, while alleged illegal construction elsewhere in Kosovo has not faced comparable enforcement.
That argument would later be echoed by journalist and publicist Enver Robelli, whose comments added a broader debate about equal application of the law to an already politically charged dispute.
Political backlash and calls for an investigation
The demolition quickly drew sharp political reactions from both Belgrade and northern Kosovo, with Serbian officials accusing Kosovo authorities of acting outside the law, while local civil society organizations called for an independent investigation into the legality of the operation.
The Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija was among the first institutions to react, describing the demolition as „another act of institutional violence against the Serbian people“ and arguing that the authorities had ignored ongoing judicial proceedings.
The Office claimed that the hotel had been demolished without a final court decision and accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s government of using institutions to intimidate the remaining Serb population in northern Kosovo.
According to the statement, the demolition represented „an attack on private property and the rule of law“ and illustrated what it described as Pristina’s continued policy of creating pressure on the Serbian community.
Vučić: „Brute force instead of law“
Later in the day, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić also commented on the demolition during an interview with Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS.
Vučić said the destruction of the hotel illustrated what he described as the absence of legal certainty for Serbs in Kosovo.
He argued that disputes over ownership should be resolved by courts rather than through demolition carried out before judicial proceedings had concluded.
The Serbian president accused Kosovo authorities of replacing legal procedures with „brute force“ and said Belgrade would continue informing international partners about what it considers violations of the rights of the Serbian community in Kosovo.
He also linked the demolition to what Serbian officials have repeatedly described as a broader campaign of pressure against Serbs in the north.
Five NGOs demand investigation
Perhaps the strongest reaction from within Kosovo itself came from five civil society organizations based in northern Kosovo.
In a joint statement, NGO Aktiv, the Center for Affirmative Social Action (CASA), the New Social Initiative (NSI), the Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER) and the Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC) stopped short of disputing the state’s right to remove illegal structures.
Instead, they questioned whether the procedure followed in the Jezero Hotel case complied with the rule of law.
The organizations called on the Basic Prosecution Office in Mitrovica, the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo (PIK) and the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure to investigate whether all legal procedures had been respected before the demolition was carried out.
According to the NGOs, the case raises serious concerns because the owners maintain that judicial proceedings over the disputed property are still pending.
„If these allegations prove to be accurate, they would represent a serious challenge to legal certainty and citizens’ confidence in institutions,“ the organizations said.
They stressed that respect for the rule of law requires not only the enforcement of laws but also strict adherence to due process and judicial protection.
The NGOs emphasized that the institutions themselves have the responsibility to demonstrate that every action affecting property rights has been carried out transparently and in full compliance with the law.
Serbian opposition movement warns of „dangerous precedent“
The Serbian National Movement, an opposition political movement in northern Kosovo gathered around the „United We Win“ (Složno pobeđujemo) initiative, also condemned the demolition, describing it as a dangerous precedent.
The movement argued that no institution should be allowed to demolish private property while ownership disputes remain before the courts.
According to the SNP, regardless of differing political positions on Kosovo, judicial institutions should have the final say in property disputes.
The organization warned that actions perceived as bypassing judicial procedures risk undermining confidence in institutions and further deepening divisions in northern Kosovo.
A dispute extending beyond one building
Although the immediate subject of Wednesday’s operation was a single hotel, reactions throughout the day demonstrated that the dispute had quickly expanded beyond questions of one property’s legal status.
For Kosovo authorities, the demolition represents another step in a campaign against illegal construction on public land.
For the owners, it symbolizes what they see as the denial of judicial protection before the courts have ruled.
For Belgrade, it has become further evidence of what it describes as institutional pressure on Kosovo Serbs.
And for several civil society organizations, the central issue is whether the state itself respected the legal procedures it is seeking to enforce.
A broader debate over the rule of law
The Jezero Hotel case has also reopened a broader debate over how Kosovo applies the law in disputes involving illegal construction.
Among those weighing in was journalist and publicist Enver Robelli, who argued that the issue extends beyond a single hotel or the dispute over its ownership.
Robelli said that, as a general principle, buildings constructed illegally on public property should indeed be demolished.
At the same time, he argued that authorities should first clarify the owners’ claims that the demolition was carried out while court proceedings over the property were still pending.
„I hope Kosovo’s judiciary will inform the public in due course whether the family’s claims are true,“ Robelli wrote.
He nevertheless maintained that illegal construction on public land cannot be justified.
„Generally speaking, construction on public property is unacceptable, and such buildings should be demolished.“
However, Robelli questioned whether the same determination shown around Lake Gazivode would also be applied elsewhere in Kosovo.
According to him, illegal construction exists along rivers and lakes throughout the country, yet many such structures remain untouched.
He cited buildings near Lake Radonic as one example and argued that selective enforcement would ultimately undermine confidence in the rule of law.
„If the law applies only to some people and not to others, that is not the rule of law—it is the rule of arbitrariness,“ he wrote.
Robelli concluded that Kosovo could become a fully functional state only if legal standards were applied equally, regardless of geography or ethnicity.
Weeks of demolitions
The demolition of the Jezero Hotel is the latest stage of a campaign that began in late June, when Kosovo authorities started removing structures they say had been illegally built on land belonging to the public company Ibar-Lepenac around Lake Gazivode.
Earlier operations focused primarily on holiday homes and cottages. Wednesday’s demolition of the hotel marked the most significant action so far, both because of the size of the building and because of the legal dispute surrounding the property.
According to acting Minister of Environment Fitore Pacolli, 17 structures have now been demolished, while authorities have indicated that additional buildings identified as illegal will also be removed.
An unresolved dispute
Whether Wednesday’s demolition will mark the end of the dispute remains uncertain.
The building has been destroyed, but the legal proceedings initiated by the Jakšić family remain pending.
A civil court hearing challenging the 2018 ownership transfer is scheduled for 12 August, while the family has also filed criminal complaints and sought interim judicial protection.
The outcome of those proceedings could determine whether the demolition becomes merely another chapter in Kosovo’s campaign against illegal construction—or a case that raises broader questions about property rights, judicial protection and the consistent application of the rule of law.
For now, however, the physical structure at the center of the dispute no longer exists, while the legal and political arguments surrounding it appear far from over.
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