The latest in a series of Serbian Ministry of Interior officers arrested at integrated border crossings between central Serbia and Kosovo has been deported, attorney Miloš Nikolić confirmed to KoSSev. J.A., a Serb from the village of Strelica/Strelicë in the municipality of Kamenica, has been issued a five-year ban from entering Kosovo.
According to the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija, J.A. was apprehended earlier today at the Konculj border crossing and transferred to a deportation center. He is employed by the police department in Vranje and, for years, had been commuting regularly between Vranje and Kamenica without obstruction.
The Office strongly condemned the latest arrest, describing it—as in previous similar cases—as an “unlawful and politically motivated persecution of Serbs by Pristina.”
KoSSev was unable to independently confirm the arrest with the Kosovo Police.
Speaking to KoSSev on Wednesday evening, attorney Nikolić stated:
“The same as in previous cases. He was taken to Pristina and then deported under an order from the Directorate for Migration.”
Nikolić confirmed that J.A. received a five-year entry ban and was stripped of his Kosovo citizenship.
“An appeal must be submitted to the Complaints Commission against the deportation order within eight days. Following that, an administrative lawsuit must be filed before the court within 30 days in response to the citizenship revocation,” he explained, outlining the next legal steps.
Nikolić clarified that J.A. works for the Gnjilane police department, which is located in Vranje.
He is also representing another Serbian police officer, M.Z., who has likewise been deported from Kosovo. An appeal has already been filed in that case.
A Fifth Deportation?
This latest case comes amid a series of arrests targeting Serbian police officers from Kosovo. Since Friday, six officers have reportedly been arrested at various integrated border crossings. One of the six, a retired officer, has since been released.
According to the Office for Kosovo and Metohija and attorneys representing the individuals, five officers have been deported within 48 hours of their arrests, their personal documents confiscated, and each issued a five-year ban on returning to Kosovo. Kosovo authorities have so far confirmed three deportations.
The wave of arrests follows the June 7 arrest of former KLA member and Kosovo Special Forces officer Arbnor Spahiu in Serbia, who is suspected of involvement in the September 2023 Banjska incident. That arrest sparked strong reactions from Kosovo’s leadership, with observers suggesting the recent deportations could be retaliatory or part of a pressure campaign for Spahiu’s release.
Kosovo’s government has invoked its Citizenship Law in these cases, arguing that individuals who serve in the police or intelligence services of another country without formal approval or an international agreement may lose their citizenship for allegedly “threatening national security.”
It was on this basis that Kosovo’s acting Minister of Interior, Xhelal Sveçla, issued the decisions.
Meanwhile, Kosovo Serb civil society organizations issued an open letter today to local and international institutions, warning of multiple human rights violations in these cases. They cited a lack of legal basis and procedural safeguards, and highlighted what they described as the political motivations underlying these actions.
Serbian CSOs Condemn Deportations of Kosovo Serbs, Urge Independent Investigation
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
