The newly constructed buildings funded by the Government of Serbia in Leposavic municipality have recently received their first tenants. While Belgrade claims that a „group of Kurti’s bandits“ led by the deputy minister in the Kosovo government, Radoica Radomirovic, entered the building in Leposavic and seized the properties, Radomirovic denied these allegations. He emphasized that the apartment units were usurped by ordinary residents of this municipality, who were dissatisfied with the allocation of apartments, noting that the only reason he went there was to tell them that was not the solution.
The same group broke into four buildings in Lesak and Socanica and threatened tenants who have relevant papers with forced eviction, Belgrade also alleges. I did not threaten anyone, says Radomirovic, in turn accusing the leaders of Srpska Lista of allocating apartments to people who are close to them, instead of to those who need them. In addition, he emphasizes that the new mayor of Leposavic in the Kosovo system, Lulzim Hetemi, does not recognize the decisions of the Provisional Authority of the same municipality, and that the Kosovo municipality should make the decisions on the allocation because the buildings were built on municipal land.
He also announced that Hetemi would file criminal charges against all those who „usurped apartments“, meaning both the tenants who were allocated the apartments by the Provisional Authority and those who were not. On the other hand, the president of the Provisional Authority of Leposavic Municipality, Zoran Todic, has remained silent on the issue, refusing to pick up calls or respond to messages from journalists of the KoSSev portal.
The head of the Kosovo Office reacted this Monday, stating that a group of people led by the Deputy Minister of Kosovo for Communities and Returns allegedly broke into four Serbian residential buildings in Lesak and Socanica on that same day.
They claim that families with small children, socially vulnerable families, and retirees live in these buildings, and that this group allegedly „threatened them with violent eviction“, while also warning them that „if they fail to do it, they will have a problem with the police“.
Petkovic emphasized that these residential buildings were built with funds from the Government of the Republic of Serbia, through the Kosovo Office, and that „they have nothing to do with Pristina.“
„The residents of these buildings who have papers are upset by this behavior of Kurti’s emissaries, and there is no doubt that any attempt to evict them would lead to new tensions and crises in the north of Kosovo and escalation of the situation, which Belgrade and the Serbs do not want at all, while Pristina is dreaming about it daily,“ said Petkovic.
He also added that „this same group of Kurti’s bandits“ broke into an uninhabited residential building in Leposavic, which was also built with funds from the Government of Serbia, on Sunday, and allegedly changed the locks and seized property.
The head of the Kosovo Office emphasizes that he informed the EU envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, about these events.
„The Serb people in the north of Kosovo simply want to live in peace in their homes with their Albanian neighbors, but it is obvious that such a scenario does not suit Pristina, which is why it makes daily moves that are not in line with de-escalation,“ Petkovic concluded.
How did it all start?
The Deputy Minister for Communities and Returns, whom Petkovic accused of threatening citizens with eviction, denied these allegations in a statement for KoSSev. On the other hand, he confirmed that he did visit the newly built buildings in Leposavic, Lesak and Socanica.
Leposavic
According to Radomirovic, everything started on Sunday, when he was informed by the mayor, Lulzim Hetemi, that a group of citizens entered two newly built buildings near the old kindergarten in Leposavic.
He also claims that the mayor allegedly „asked“ him to go and see exactly what was going on. Once he reached the buildings, he concluded that a group of citizens had usurped the apartments.
„I came right away, I know some of them, I spoke to them and told them that it is not a solution to break into buildings by force. I said that the mayor is not in favor of violent intrusion,“ he said.
Radomirovic claims that these individuals are ordinary citizens, some of whom are inhabitants of the municipality of Leposavic who live in lodgings and difficult conditions. „These are not people from Srpska Lista,“ he added.
„They submitted requests for apartments, they heard that the apartments were being allocated, that people were going to enter the apartments, and they came and entered the buildings. A family that lives in terribly inhumane conditions has also moved in, they submitted several requests to renovate their house, but their requests were denied, the wife is about to give birth, it’s not right for them to welcome a baby in those conditions,“ he argued.
He says that the citizens he spoke with told him that they are ready to leave the apartments, but only if „Srpska Lista leaves the other apartments in Leposavic, Lesak, Socanica„.
Furthermore, he specifies that there are a total of 24 apartments in the newly constructed buildings that were usurped in Leposavic, all of which are now occupied, but which were empty until now.
This high-ranking official of the Kosovo government claims that he visited these buildings again yesterday, but also another building, also in Leposavic, reportedly at the mayor’s request.
He says that he paid a visit to a new residential building with 12 apartments, which was also financed by the Government of Serbia, located near the House of Culture.
It is an unfinished building, he added, stating that some citizens moved in there yesterday, who, unlike the group that usurped the apartments on Sunday, have papers on apartment allocation issued to them by the Provisional Body of the Government of Serbia.
He emphasizes that these people close to SL, noting that he did not speak to them, and that they did not want to talk to him either.
He also claims that water and electricity connections are being carried out „in a hurry“ in this building, but also that the question remains what will happen to the other two buildings where, as he says, „there are no people from SL“.
„The question is how and when they will get electricity and water,“ he adds, announcing that he will discuss this with representatives of Elektrodistribucija.
If it does not bear fruit, he stressed that he will inform the international community about it.
Socanica
Also, in Socanica, some families also quickly moved in, claims Radomirovic.
He confirmed that he visited this place on Monday where a building was also built with the funds of the Government of Serbia.
He says that he was called by disgruntled citizens whose applications were rejected.
„I went there, and met with citizens, some of whom I know, some I don’t. The women were crying, they want to move in, they live in lodgings, and there are families who live hard, but they were not given an apartment. I can’t help them,“ he said.
He claims that on the same day, citizens whose applications were approved by the PA, and who possess the necessary documentation allegedly issued on August 30th of this year, were in the process of moving in.
Radomirovic added that he also spoke with one person who received papers, allegedly signed by the president of the Provisional Authority of Leposavic Municipality, Zoran Todic.
„I told him that the mayor does not recognize those papers, because they are issued by the Provisional Authority. It is a complete lie that I told someone that they were going to have to move out, I just conveyed the mayor’s message to them that he does not recognize those decisions,“ stressed Radomirovic, noting that he received the following answer: „What happens to the others, will happen to me as well, I will remain here and that’s it.“
Lesak
After Socanica, Radomirovic headed towards Lesak, also at the call of disgruntled locals.
Three residential buildings were built in this place with funds from the Government of Serbia.
Radomirovic states that none of the residents who were in front of the building at the time he arrived had the required papers, while those whose applications were approved, waited in front of the building for a representative of the Leposavic Provisional Authority to hand the housing papers to them.
He specified that most of the citizens he found there were „people close to Todic„.
„Persons who participated in the barricades, various protests and members of the Civil Protection,“ he said.
On the other hand, he says that three families – two of Bosniak and one of Serbian ethnicity – moved into one of these buildings, even though they did not have housing papers.
„I talked to citizens; however, I was met by a group of citizens, 5-6 of them, who live in difficult conditions, in lodgings, have children, are unemployed, submitted applications for an apartment, however, Srpska Lista did not give them the apartments, but they gave them to criminals,“ alleged Radomirovic.
He claims that then, at his call, the police intervened because „an incident could have broken out.“
„The former policeman who got an apartment wanted to evict a Bosniak family – a woman with two children. I called the police, told them that an incident could occur and called on them to intervene,“ he said.
He emphasizes that he conveyed the mayor of Leposavic’s message in Lesak as well – „that it is not a solution to forcefully enter apartments“, and that he then went home, as well as that the police officers also left the scene.
„However, as I found out, two Bosniak families were then thrown out of the building. That’s where the problem turned out to be, it’s not right that they kicked out the Bosniak families,“ said Radomirovic.
He has no information whether the police reacted in the meantime, adding that the Bosniak families were scared.
I’ve usurped an apartment and I’m not going to leave, I can’t take the injustice anymore.
Marina Bogojevic reached out to KoSSev, revealing that she personally usurped one of the apartments in Lesak, and that she is now under pressure.
„When everyone came in with the papers they suddenly got in the local office, that’s when I decided to take one of the apartments, which no one had entered at that moment,“ said Bogojevic.
She stated that she applied for an apartment but was rejected. Bogojevic stressed that she is aware that she entered the facility illegally, underlining that she can no longer tolerate injustice.
„I was labeled and harassed from all sides. I’m unemployed, I decided to take justice into my own hands. I can’t do it anymore, I’m 53 years old – I’ve been renting an apartment for 22 years, I had three children in school, I’m a single mother, without a job, without anything. I could not get a job even as a cleaning lady anywhere. I don’t receive any money, neither from Serbia, nor from Kosovo, and in all three buildings there are people who have houses and apartments in Serbia and jobs and everything,“ she said.
Bogojevic also claims that the apartments were distributed to citizens by the Provisional Authority of Leposavic Municipality, namely, people who are close to SL.
„The provisional authority even canceled the lists five times. The apartments were given to those who went to rallies, on buses, they are all people from SNS, local people,“ she said.
She emphasizes that apart from one woman who is also a single mother, she is not aware of any other people who got an apartment and “deserved” to get it.
This resident of Lesak claims that she is under pressure and that she is afraid that someone will try to evict her.
She testified that the problem occurred when her fellow citizen came yesterday with papers, stating that the apartment was allocated to him.
KoSSev’s interlocutor states that he is a former member of the Kosovo Police who owns a house and lives near the buildings.
He came, and he told me that he had papers, I told him that I also had papers.
„Everyone fell silent yesterday after the move-in on Monday,“ she added, noting that the „atmosphere is tense“.
„I will not leave this apartment. They will certainly put pressure on me. Maybe the Albanians, maybe the Serbs, I don’t know, but I know that I’m unemployed, and I won’t leave this apartment,“ she said.
Bogojevic also confirmed that the Deputy Minister for Communities and Return came on Monday, as well as the police.
„They calmly asked people to show them the papers, most refused. He said that the distribution of apartments was not done properly, that it should be done again, but everything was calm,“ she stated.
However, she claims that at one point, two families entered the same apartment – one with papers, the other without – and the latter family then left the apartment.
„They had children with them and were under stress and then they said, ‘let’s go and hope allocations will be done properly,'“ says Bogojevic.
What next?
Radomirovic also expressed hope that the apartments will be allocated „properly.”
While the Kosovo Office claims that these buildings have „nothing to do with Pristina“, because they were financed by funds from the Government of Serbia that were donated to the Provisional Authority, the deputy minister says that the Kosovo municipality of Leposavic should be the one making the decisions on the apartment allocation.
He emphasizes that the mayor of Leposavic does not recognize documents issues by the Provisional Authority, because the buildings were built on plots owned by the municipality.
„The fact is that the apartments were built on municipal land, but I am not a lawyer and I cannot answer that question. In principle, the mayor should redistribute the apartments, regardless of who builds them… Citizens should wait for the buildings to be registered and to carry out a proper redistribution of apartments to socially vulnerable categories, above all to refugees, that is the stance of the mayor,“ adds Radomirovic.
From the Government, through the provisional authority, to companies close to Radoicic and Veselinovic
Radomirovic claims that the Provisional Authority handed the funds allocated for the construction of residential buildings to companies that are „close“ to Milan Radoicic and Zvonko Veselinovic.
„Such as companies Rad 08, Sigma Projekt, and others, I found contracts in the municipality,“ he said.
Criminal charges
In addition, Radomirovic announced that the mayor, Lulzim Hetemi, will file criminal charges against the citizens who, as he says, „usurped municipal property“, meaning both those with papers and those without papers issued by the provisional authority.
He also stated that the mayor is in contact with the authorities from Pristina, with the purpose of deciding „what solution to take“, but also that the Ministry of Local Self-Government Administration has been informed about everything that is happening in Leposavic.
KoSSev portal reached out to the president of the Provisional Authority regarding Radomirovic’s allegations and accusations.
He did not respond to our written inquiries or calls.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
