A member of Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) from the village of Veliko Ropotovo near Kamenica – who was arrested this morning at the Konculj administrative crossing – has been forcibly deported from Kosovo to Serbia proper.
His lawyer, Miloš Nikolić, confirmed the development for KoSSev.
“He was just deported at the Konculj crossing. His ID card was confiscated,” Nikolić said, adding that he could not provide further details at this time.
The individual, identified by the initials M.Z., is employed by the Serbian MUP and stationed in the Niš police department.
Following his arrest this morning, he was held in an immigration center in the village of Vrani Do/Vranidol near Pristina. He lives with his wife and two children in Veliko Ropotovo.
Wave of Arrests
M.Z. is the fifth Kosovo Serb employed by the Serbian police to be arrested on Kosovo territory since Friday, and the third to be deported. 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:
Another Serbian Police Officer Arrested at IBM
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.
