In a press conference held at the Srpska Lista’s headquarters, Zlatan Elek, the head of the party, accused Kosovo authorities of a coordinated effort to undermine Serbian institutions and services in the region. Elek alleged that the current actions, spearheaded by Self-Determination (LVV), are aimed at dismantling Srpska Lista and compromising the work of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as educational and health institutions, all in order to undermine the ASM.
„I believe that the current goal is, under the aggression of political parties, primarily Self-Determination, to discriminate against and dismantle SL, while also compromising the work of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as educational and health institutions, in order to undermine the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities,“ said Zlatan Elek.
He expressed concerns that such actions would leave room to prioritize compliant Serbs aligned with Self-Determination.
„You all know, you who live here like I do, that the law is not respected here—any law. Laws simply do not exist here. The best example of the absence of laws is the raid on the Clinical-Hospital Center,“ alleged Elek.
The press conference also addressed a recent raid by Kosovo police on the Clinical-Hospital Center in North Mitrovica. Last Friday, the Kosovo police seized control of several buildings housing Serbian municipal institutions, including the Office for Kosovo and Metohija and district administration offices. The police also entered auxiliary buildings at the KBC, searching the boiler room and laundry facilities.
The police announced that they found a knife, a hunting weapon holster, a uniform, and a backpack, however, Elek specified today that the police did not find anything and that they were primarily searching for heavy weaponry.
He criticized the police for conducting the search in front of doctors and patients, questioning the legality of their actions.
“To this day, under material and criminal responsibility, I can affirm that we received no warrant whatsoever,” Elek said, adding that previous warrants had been in Albanian and allegedly lacked proper legal detail.
During the press conference, Elek addressed a prior issue where only two media outlets were invited to a previous SL briefing. He apologized for the oversight, attributing it to a technical issue, and reassured journalists of the party’s commitment to transparency.
Despite this, Elek and other speakers had critical remarks about media coverage, suggesting that certain media outlets were not fulfilling their role adequately. He questioned the limited media coverage of positive developments, such as recent employment increases in Serbia and at KBC.
Elek also addressed criticisms of Belgrade’s response to the crisis. Elek supported the Belgrade’ policy towards Kosovo issue. He suggested that Belgrade should be even a more active participant in the dialogue, noting that SL discussions with official Belgrade might soon yield concrete results.
Elek reiterated that SL is committed to advocating for Serbian rights and services in Kosovo. He emphasized that their objections are directed at the actions of Pristina authorities under Albin Kurti and Self-Determination, rather than the Albanian people as a whole.
„We have nothing against the Albanian people. We only express our objections to the behavior of the authorities in Pristina, currently led by Mr. Albin Kurti and Self-Determination. That is where we face the most problems,“ he underlined.
The conference was convened in response to summonses issued to five Serbian leaders, including Igor Simić, Ivan Zaporožac, Zoran Todić, Milan Radojević, and Ivan Todosijević. The summonses relate to allegations of document forgery involving Serbian documents used in Kosovo. While the Kosovo police confirmed the involvement of five leaders, Simić noted that only three formal summonses had been issued, with notifications largely sent via Viber.
As tensions continue to rise, Srpska Lista remains vocal about what it perceives as political persecution and an effort to erode Serbian institutional presence in Kosovo.
Srpska Lista Decries Forgery Charges as Crackdown on Kosovo Serb Community
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
