After the Party of Kosovo Serbs called on the citizens to boycott the Kosovo population census last night, the remaining parties in the north of Kosovo, Serbian Democracy and Srpska Lista also said that they will not participate in the census organized by the Kosovo Agency for Statistics. While Serbian Democracy called for the postponement of the process, SL, speaking on behalf of all citizens of Serbian ethnicity, informed the Prime Minister of Kosovo that they will not participate either.
The population census in Kosovo started today and will last until May 17. According to earlier information, it will be held every day of the week, except Monday. This is the second census in Kosovo since 1999, after the one in 2011, which was almost completely boycotted by Serbs, both from the north and the south.
On several occasions, Kosovo authorities have called on the Serbian community to respond to the new census. The Prime Minister of Kosovo said this week from North Mitrovica that they should participate in order to obtain an accurate number of inhabitants of these areas based on which future plans can be made.
Citizens who do not respond to the census will be issued a fine in the amount of up to 2,000 euros.
However, the Serbian parties in the north have stressed that they do not support the census.
PKS: Citizens to boycott
Last night, the Party of Kosovo Serbs from Leposavic, headed by Aleksandar Jablanović, called on citizens to boycott the census.
They believe that the census, as they said, is unacceptable at this moment, but also that it comes at „the most politically and security-challenging and most unfavorable time for Serbs in Kosovo.“
According to the party, this is „not a population census“, but:
„Albin Kurti’s desire to check the success of his repressive policy towards Serbs and see in numbers how many Serbs he managed to expel since 2021.“
Serbian Democracy: There are a thousand reasons why we cannot support the census
The North Mitrovica based Serbian Democracy party, headed by Aleksandar Arsenijević, underlined that the migration of the Serbian people from Kosovo due to the „institutional violence that we as Serbs have been suffering for more than two years“ is one of the many reasons why they do not support this census.
Arsenijević said there are thousand reasons not to support the census:
„In these times, we have a problem with the decision of the CBK, i.e. by abolishing the payment transaction, then the majority of census staff members, in majority Serbian areas – are not Serbs. We have a serious outflow of our people from Kosovo due to the institutional violence that we as Serbs have been suffering for more than two years. Trust in Kosovo’s institutions by our people is non-existent. As a people, they are taking away all our powers and violating all protection mechanisms. Finally, it is not the time for the census when we deeply believe that the attempt of the official authorities in Pristina is to reduce our numbers in the form of statistical errors before the ‘formation of the ASM’ with malpractices. Of course, they would use this as an argument not to establish it.“
In addition to announcing that they will not support the census, Serbian Democracy called for it to be postponed until:
„Better and more normal times come.“
SL on behalf of Serbs: We will not participate in the population census
SL does not support the census either. Moreover, today, on behalf of the Serbian people, the party told the Prime Minister of Kosovo that the Serbian people will not participate in it.
„Dear citizens, bearing in mind the multi-year repression of Albin Kurti’s regime against our people in Kosovo and Metohija, with the aim of ethnically cleansing everything Serbian from these areas, we want to clearly tell Kurti and those who support him that the Serbian people will not participate in the upcoming fake census in his organization with which he wants to confirm his shameful success in expelling the Serbs“, they said.
They believe that participating in the processes organized by Kurti would be „the greatest humiliation for the Serbian people,“ while the same Kurti:
„Denies the right to pensions, salaries, prevents the normal functioning of healthcare and social benefits, abolishes the right to vote, arrests and persecutes Serbs, forcibly occupies municipalities, militarizes the north of Kosovo and Metohija, prohibits vaccination and the delivery of medicines, prevents the delivery of food and provisions from Serbia proper, abolishes all agreements reached and the rights guaranteed by them to the Serbian people, bans the Serbian press, denies responsibility for shooting Serbs and Serbian children, forcibly imposes its fake mayors in Serbian municipalities, practically cancels the Serbian script in public places and traffic signs…“
Srpska Lista also believes that through the census process, that is, confirmation that it will also include war damage statistics, Kurti wants to attack Serbia even more.
„And that additionally deters every Serb from being a part of this process,“ they say.
At the same time, they believe that referring to legal obligations and messages that are, as they say, classic intimidation is „extremely hypocritical of the regime that violated all legal acts by persecuting Serbs and will not bear fruit.“
„According to which law, dozens of Serbs are in prison cells without the right to a fair trial or at least a defense from outside of prison walls? Invoking the right of those to whom the law lies is an insult to every honest and honorable man, who would ask himself what law allows the one who shot and tried to kill Serbian boys in Gotovuša on Christmas Day to walk freely without any punishment for his crime?“ they asked.
Finally, they call on the international community to cease being silent and thus „support the persecution of the Serbian people and hide behind ‘understanding’ and modest, anemic statements.“
„Census in these circumstances of daily repression against our people and without return of 250,000 displaced persons would be a pure legalization of the ethnic cleansing that was carried out against our people from 1999 to date. Maybe it doesn’t bother Kurti and you, and maybe you have the force at your disposal, but the Serbian people will not accept to be complicit in that dirty work,“ they point out.
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