Today’s visit by Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, to Leposavic sparked controversy after two local residents were briefly detained at Bastion, a café located across from the municipal building. The café, which Sveçla visited with the deputy mayor of the municipality, quickly became the center of conflicting narratives involving police, politicians, and local activists.
Conflicting Reports and Detention of Two Residents
In the early afternoon, two Leposavic locals, identified as A.T. and M.M., were detained by police at the café. According to Veton Elshani, the head of the Kosovo Police for the North region, this was not an arrest but a brief detention to confirm their identities.
He also emphasized that the action had nothing to do with Sveçla, refusing to even confirm that the minister visited Leposavic today.
However, Aleksandar Arsenijević, leader of the Serbian Democracy party, disputed this version, insisting that the two men were arrested due to Sveçla’s presence. Speaking to KoSSev, Arsenijević alleged that the men were detained for expressing dissatisfaction with the minister’s visit.
“They were arrested simply for possibly giving a disapproving look. This is a gang that arrests people based on orders and glances,” Arsenijević said in a live broadcast from Leposavic.
He told KoSSev that two men in green jackets—who he believes were part of Sveçla’s security detail—photographed the locals before police intervened.
The Minister’s Visit and Café Scene
Minister Sveçla’s visit to Leposavic was confirmed by Marina Bogojević, deputy mayor of the municipality, who accompanied him. Bogojević described a peaceful and pleasant time spent in the café’s garden, where they took photos together.
“There was no incident. We had a nice time, even joked about how there were no provocations,” Bogojević told KoSSev.
However, she described the café as a “stronghold” of Arsenijević’s party (owned by Vladimir Radosavljević) and noted that it was filled with “SNS members” during their visit.
Protest and Accusations of Political Provocation
Upon learning of the incident, Arsenijević immediately headed to Leposavic from Zvecan, claiming that Sveçla’s visit was a deliberate provocation. According to his account, he encountered Sveçla’s convoy at a roundabout near the municipal building as it was leaving the area.
Vladimir Radosavljević, the former owner of Bastion and a Serbian Democracy party candidate in the upcoming elections, also interpreted Sveçla’s visit as a provocation.
“I sold the café when I entered politics to avoid conflicts of interest. But they didn’t know that. Their visit was clearly intended to provoke,” Radosavljević said.
Both Arsenijević and Radosavljević claimed they had received information that the café might be targeted for demolition as retaliation for their earlier public accusations against Nenad Rašić’s party for alleged voter manipulation.
Bogojević Denies Threats and Allegations
Bogojević denied all accusations of provocation and threats. She expressed shock at the allegations, saying, “I’m just a candidate for parliament, not a member of Rašić’s party. Who am I to threaten anyone? Those who know me know I’m not that kind of person.”
In a subsequent clarification, Bogojević stated that the municipality had been renewing the café’s operating permit every six months but was unaware of any recent change in ownership.
She also disclosed that she has been facing significant pressure and threats, including unexplained interruptions to her phone service and a campaign of anonymous calls and negative comments. “They won’t silence me,” she declared on her Facebook page.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
