A member of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs from Veliko Ropotovo, near Kamenica, was arrested this morning at the Konculj administrative crossing.
This was confirmed to KoSSev by his lawyer, Miloš Nikolić.
The individual, identified as M.Z., is employed by the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs and assigned to the Niš Police Department.
Nikolić stated that M.Z. has been transferred to the Immigration Detention Center in the village of Vrani Do/Vranidol near Pristina.
„His family lives in Veliko Ropotovo – he has a wife and two children,“ the lawyer said, adding that he could not provide more details at this time.
KoSSev has repeatedly attempted to contact the Kosovo Police and the head of the Kosovo Police for the Pristina region, Baki Kelani, but received no response.
Wave of Arrests
M.Z. is the fifth Kosovo Serb employed by the Serbian police to be arrested on Kosovo territory since Friday. Four others had previously been detained at the Brnjak, Jarinje, and Konculj border crossings – among them a retired police officer.
Mladen Milojević and Nikola Vujović have since been deported to Serbia proper, after having their Kosovo-issued documents confiscated and being banned from re-entering Kosovo for five years. According to KoSSev’s unofficial sources, the retired MUP officer, M.S., was released earlier today.
The recent wave of arrests of Kosovo Serbs working in the Serbian police comes in the aftermath of the June 7 arrest in Serbia of Arbnor Spahiu – a former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and Kosovo Special Police – who is suspected of involvement in the Banjska case, which involved the killing of a Kosovo police officer.
Spahiu’s arrest prompted sharp reactions from officials in Pristina. The current developments are widely seen as either a form of retaliation or pressure for Spahiu’s release.
Kosovo authorities are now invoking the Law on Citizenship, which allows for the revocation of rights for individuals who are involved in activities deemed to threaten national security, or who serve in the police or intelligence services of another state without approval or a relevant international agreement.
These legal grounds have been publicly referenced by Kosovo’s outgoing Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla.
Read more:
Second Serbian Police Officer Deported from Kosovo in One Day
Kosovo deports Serbian police officer after revoking his Kosovan citizenship
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
