At today’s public discussion on the expropriation of land in Leposavic, residents of this municipality, that is, the owners of the expropriated plots sent an almost united message: „There is no life left for us here“. They assessed the decision on expropriation as illegal, demanding that representatives of the Kosovo government explain the presence of members of special units of the Kosovo Police near the expropriated hill, and convey their messages to the Pristina authorities and Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
The decision of the Kosovo authorities in mid-January to expropriate a hill covering over 83 ha of land in the Leposavic municipality greatly disturbed residents of the north. The land in question falls under two cadastral zones – the villages of Dren and Lesak, both private and state-owned. This was actually one of many decisions on expropriation made by the Kosovo government, and in actuality, over 138 ha of land in the north of Kosovo has been expropriated by Pristina over the last few months. This is also the first decision over which a public discussion was held, although the Kosovo authorities have claimed otherwise.
After the EU reacted in early February, publicly pointing out the shortcomings of the process, the Kosovo government decided on the same day to hold public discussions on February 15th and February 21st in Leposavic and Zubin Potok, but only after the government confirmed that it had made the decisions.
Plots of land are being expropriated in the municipalities of Leposavic and Zubin Potok, where special police bases are under construction.
Locals in both municipalities share a common experience – they were not informed about the expropriation in advance, no public discussion was held, and one day, they suddenly found machinery and heavily armed police on their properties.
They shared their experience and view of the situation today with the director of the Expropriation Department, AfrimMurati.
„You are used to only taking, never giving,“ reads one of the messages of the Leposavic locals.
We are not terrorists, we are family people
Dragisa Krstovic, a resident of the village of Dren, a former member of the Kosovo Assembly, a former lawyer and judge, expressed hope that today’s discussion will be recorded and presented to Pristina so that the expropriation procedure that was “launched illegally is stopped.”
„The procedure was started illegally, due to the fact that the works were initiated before any of the expropriation procedure was carried out,“ said Krstovic.
He added that according to the Law on Expropriation, there is no basis for determining the general interest of expropriation in this case, nor for the construction of the facility planned to be built.
„This is a military or police facility, and the question is whether as such a facility, according to the Law on Expropriation, the general interest can be determined and the expropriation procedure can be carried out.“
At the same time, he believes that the current political circumstances are not suitable for the implementation of the expropriation procedure. He also asked Murati to convey these messages to officials in Pristina.
„This is an area where people have lived for centuries, and this project, such as it was announced, can only bring negative consequences to the people of this region. People in this area have been here for centuries and they want to live here forever, but at the same time, this can really push them to make different decisions. Neither Kosovo, nor the central authorities in Pristina, nor anyone else needs that at this moment.“
Krstovic also assessed that there is no national interest in this procedure, but that, in fact, it is in the national interest to suspend it.
„I think that at this moment it is in the general interest for people to stay where they have lived for centuries. And if this project is continued in the way it was started, or in any other way, I think there is no survival of those people on the hearths where they’ve lived so far,“ said Krstovic.
At the same time, he noted that the subject of the discussion should not be focused on whether the decision is in accordance with the law because a competent court will issue a judgment on the matter, as a lawsuit has been filed.
FOTO: KoSSev
Show us the road
During the discussion, locals insisted that the representatives of the Department for Expropriation from Pristina – Afrim Murati, Samir Bruci, DorontinaDemaj, reveal what they plan to build. The response they received is that the purpose of the expropriation is the widening of the road and the installation of an optical cable. The response was met with derision from the gathered locals.
At one point, they asked Murati to show where the road which should purportedly benefit them passes through the 83-hectare hill, and presented a map of the expropriated plots for that purpose.
FOTO: KoSSev
Ivan Josovic, one of the owners of plots in the village of Zaselje, called the expropriation of the land a „seizing“ of his property.
„One morning, I was on my way to buy bread. Heavy machinery and workers appeared in front of me. I stopped and asked ‘What is this?’, but they refused to tell me anything. When I came back, the same thing happened again. Heavily armed policemen. How should one feel upon spotting heavily armed police?“ he asked.
Josovic said that because of the decision on expropriation, locals no longer have the right to exist or enjoy freedom of movement.
„Children are no longer free to go outside. According to plans, the wire will come up 50 meters from my house. Would anyone like to have a wire in front of their house and live in fear and sleep here?“ Josovic said today.
He also warned that all international norms were violated, that he was not informed of the decision, and that no one asked him if he needed a road.
„There is no life for us here if you don’t reverse this decision. I beg you to tell Pristina to stop this and remove the firearms and heavy machinery from the road. So that we can live and have freedom of movement,“ concluded Josovic.
Another resident of Zaselje – Miroljub Josovic, the owner of four plots included in the expropriation decision, told the representatives of the Kosovo government that they are looking down on locals.
You won’t tell us why you came, and this is how we know that we are second-class citizens, nobody asks us anything
He also reminded that armed members of the special unit of the Kosovo Police were present at the site of the road-widening project, near the expropriated land.
„I don’t think that’s how it’s done. If you’re doing something legal, you don’t need the police.“
Josovic also claims armed men in plain clothes were also present on the field, and that they stopped him, took his ID and searched his car. He also revealed that for the past six months, people in plain clothes also visited the same site.
„All this happened without the local government and the locals who have lived there for centuries being notified. You are citing some law, and you yourself have broken it who knows how many times. If something is done in the public interest, the workers come and do it, but necessary actions are taken before that. You don’t come with guns, fingers on the trigger and then say ‘Serbs are guilty, they caused the incident,'“ Miroljub Josovic argued.
A roundabout cannot be built, and the hill covers 80 ha. So what will it be, a training ground, a runway for airplanes and helicopters?
He urged the representatives of the Kosovo government to reveal what is being built on the hill, and underscored that the locals do not need a road there.
„We lived a life of dignity until 20 days ago. This is where my children pass by, where they work, male, and female children, they are too afraid to pass. They say, ‘Dad, there’s a man over there, scowling at me, giving me a dirty look.“
„If a base is built, it’s 2-3 thousand members army or police. And that leads to nothing but the prosecution of the people in a peaceful way. You present it as if it is being done for peacetime purposes, and we are portrayed here as hooligans,“ he said.
He also asked them to explain the presence of the police and machinery.
FOTO: KoSSev
One of the residents of the village of Dren, Stefan Dimitrijevic, who also participated in the protest against the expropriation, told Murati:
„I would ask you to bring that stick and carrot next time you come because we’re clearly not donkeys here, just so you know.“
Addressing the exemption of the plot containing the Orthodox cemetery and church, on behalf of the residents of Dren, Dimitrijevic conveyed the following message:
„You didn’t give us anything back, it belongs to us. And just so you know, the inhabitants of the village of Dren, Kurti should know, will defend their village with their lives. Remember that sentence well because you won’t listen to us and give us answers. Our question is still before you – What will be built on the hill behind my house and above our cemeteries and church?“
Another resident of Dren, Nikola Obradovic said: „There’s no life here. That’s your answer.“
They repeatedly asked Murati to answer their questions, while he kept reiterating that they had already gotten their answers.
A man wearing a blue helmet with the inscription „1244“ also attended the public discussion. He was previously spotted at a large rally of Serbs held after they withdrew from Kosovo institutions in November last year.
