Vladimir Radosavljević, president of the Leposavic branch of Serbian Democracy and a mayoral candidate in the upcoming elections, was brought in for questioning by Kosovo police this morning. The reason, he says, was last night’s action – repairing broken benches in the town center. Together with his supporters, he replaced the damaged planks with boards painted in the colors of the Serbian flag, leaving the broken ones at the office of the current mayor, Lulzim Hetemi.
According to Radosavljević, police told him there were no criminal or misdemeanor charges against him, although he was summoned for “drawing the Serbian flag” and “leaving the broken boards” at Hetemi’s office.
“I didn’t paint the flag; I just had those planks at home. I only returned the broken ones to Hetemi,” he explained.
Disputes over public spaces
The incident follows a series of changes in northern Kosovo’s public spaces that sparked discontent among Serbs. On Friday, authorities in North Mitrovica dismantled the illuminated Cyrillic sign “I love Kosovska Mitrovica,” replacing it with a new installation in Latin script, “I love Mitrovica,” featuring a green heart instead of a red one and a modified municipal emblem.
At the same time, seats inside the town’s sports hall were repainted green and white, replacing the previous red, blue, and white combination. Serbian athletes have not trained there since the hall was taken over by Kosovo institutions earlier this year.
In Leposavic, meanwhile, municipal authorities from Self-Determination have been carrying out works near the Ibar River, on the grounds of popular sports fields and the town beach. Radosavljević filmed workers installing a fence without visible permits or project signs.
“They have already closed off the sports grounds, and now they are blocking access to the beach and the Ibar. These are people without identification, no project board, they don’t know Serbian. If they close the beach, they are limiting my freedom of movement – I’ve been using it for 40 years,” he said.
He added that he had called the police, but was told to contact the municipality – an answer he described as unserious and mocking.
Criticism of both Self-Determination and Srpska lista
Speaking to KoSSev, Radosavljević accused the current local authorities of being “alienated from the people,” while also singling out Srpska lista as “the main culprit” for the difficult position of Serbs in Kosovo.
“They haven’t come out of their holes for two years, and now they are waving flags,” he said.
The past two years, in his words, have been a period of “repression, an attack on Serbian identity, and on everything Serbian.” He warned that “this is the last moment,” which is why, he claims, pressure on Serbs has intensified.
Radosavljević expressed hope that repression would ease after the elections but cautioned:
“If the people again choose those who brought us here, I expect more injustice and the further departure of Serbs.”
Srpska Lista Films Campaign Video During Removal of Cyrillic “Kosovska Mitrovica” Sign
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