UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, July 22, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti comments on Popovic’s arrest, accuses Serbia of inciting tensions (media)
Kurti: News about agreement for institutions or not, this week (media)
Police find two Serbian-manufactured RPGs in Mitrovica North (media)
Svecla: Belgrade organized and supplied terrorist and criminal gangs (media)
Kurti: We depoliticized integration of Serbs in society and institutions (AP)
Decision to detain policemen involved in Zejnullahu’s death annulled (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Belgrade, Pristina top officials trade accusations following Igor Popovic’s arrest and detention (KoSSev, media, social media)
Serbian prosecutors open case into Popovic’s arrest, call on police and intelligence to identify alleged perpetrators (KoSSev)
Serbian PM condemns Igor Popovic’s arrest (Tanjug)
Serbian Democracy demands immediate release of Igor Popovic (Radio KIM)
UNMIK on Popovic’s arrest and detention (Kosovo Online)
UK, Italian embassies on Popovic’s arrest and detention (Kosovo Online)
MFRR says EC report insufficient response to deteriorating media freedom (N1)

International Media:

Kosovo households and businesses turn to solar energy to reduce costs (PI)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti comments on Popovic’s arrest, accuses Serbia of inciting tensions (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Monday that Serbia is inciting tensions in the region. Commenting on the recent arrest of Igor Popovic, deputy head of the Serbian government’s office for Kosovo over his statements against the former Kosovo Liberation Army, Kurti said that whoever violates law and order will be faced with justice. On July 18 during a stay at the village of Hoca e Madhe in Rahovec, Popovic called the KLA a terrorist organization. He was arrested later that day at the Brnjak crossing, and the court ordered a one-month detention for him on the charges of committing the criminal offence of “inciting division and intolerance”.

Kurti also commented on a statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who said that Popovic’s arrest can have unpredictable consequences. “The statements by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on July 20 are threatening, destabilizing and completely unacceptable. When a president who is also the supreme commander of an army of a state makes public threats aimed at inciting conflicts, this cannot be considered an individual position but a state policy. In doing so, Belgrade clearly shows that it does not support justice, peace and stability, but incites tensions and spreads hate speech in the region the same way that Popovic’s statements incite division and intolerance,” Kurti argued.

Kurti also called on all people from Kosovo to avoid travel through Serbia, “because there are indications about dangers and provocations and arbitrary detentions by Serbian authorities. We call on people to show maturity and cooperate with Kosovo’s institutions and to maintain unity and calm. We also call on the EU, NATO and the whole international community to react clearly and with determination against Vucic’s threats which are not just political statements but part of a well-organized campaign to destabilize Kosovo and the region”.

Kurti: News about agreement for institutions or not, this week (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister and leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, told a press conference on Monday that his party is ready to co-govern with NISMA led by Fatmir Limaj and that it has made them a concrete offer. “I met with Limaj the day before yesterday. The Vetevendosje Movement and I have expressed our interest and readiness to co-govern with NISMA and in this regard I made a concrete offer to conclude everything the sooner and the better we can so that we can constitute the Assembly and the Government,” Kurti told a press conference in Pristina.

Kurti said he cannot disclose details because the offer he made has yet to be made into an agreement and that “there need to be discussions and political readiness” in order to form the new institutions. He also said he hopes that talks with Limaj’s party will be finalized this week. “This week we will have the news about the agreement or lack thereof,” he said.

Police find two Serbian-manufactured RPGs in Mitrovica North (media)

Kosovo Police said on Monday that two Serbian-manufactured RPGs were found in an uninhabited building in Mitrovica North. Police said the weapons were confiscated as material evidence and that there are ongoing investigations into the case.

Svecla: Belgrade organized and supplied terrorist and criminal gangs (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, reacted to the confiscation of two Serbian-manufactured RPGs in the north of Kosovo on Monday. He posted images of the weapons in a Facebook post and said that Belgrade “encouraged, organized and supplied terrorist and criminal gangs [in the north of Kosovo] with the only purpose of violating the territorial integrity and constitutional order” of Kosovo. “We are however determined to systematically and without any dilemma demolish every criminal presence or potential of terrorism in our country. We are restoring order increasingly and every day in that part of the territory and alongside that also investments and development for all people without any differences,” he said.

Kurti: We depoliticized integration of Serbs in Kosovo society and institutions (AP)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Monday that during his mandate the integration of the Serb community in Kosovo society and institutions has been achieved not through political agreements but through law, merits and professionalism. “The readiness of our fellow people has never been lacking. It was often challenged and oppressed by illegal structures and criminal groups. We were confronted with Serbia’s structures in Kosovo and not with the Kosovo Serbs,” he said, adding that the problem lies with illegal structures.

Kurti presented several indicators which he said are proof of the progress on the sustainable integration of the Serb community in Kosovo’s institutions. He said that since the collective resignations of Serb police officers in November 2022, over 200 new members of the Serb community have joined the Kosovo Police. He also said that around 800 Serbs in the northern municipalities have been employed as part of the measure “The Government for Families” and the registration of over 430 new businesses from January 2024 to July 2025.

Decision to detain policemen involved in Zejnullahu’s death annulled (media)

Most news websites reported on Monday that the Court of Appeals annulled the decision of the Basic Court in Pristina – the branch in Lipjan, on the detention of 5 police officers involved in the death of Agon Fejzullahu in Lipjan. The Basic Court had ordered a 30-day detention for the officers, who were suspected of committing the criminal offense of negligent homicide. “The Court of Appeals of Kosovo has granted the appeals of the lawyers of the defendants … and ex officio has annulled the ruling, thus remanding the case for retrial. The trial panel has found that the appealed ruling contains violations of the provisions of criminal procedure which condition its annulment,” the decision notes.

Serbian Language Media

Belgrade, Pristina top officials trade accusations following Igor Popovic’s arrest and detention (KoSSev, media, social media)

Serbian top officials in a series of reactions responded to accusations Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti made during the press conference in Pristina on Monday, condemning what he described as Serbia’s “normalization of hate speech” and warning against inflammatory rhetoric coming from Belgrade. Kurti also said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s statements “were threatening, destabilizing and fully unacceptable”. In relation to the arrest of Office for KIM Assistant Director Igor Popovic, Kurti said that “anyone who violates the law and sows division will face justice”, adding the case of Popovic was “no exception”, KoSSev portal reported.

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric in a post on X social platform wrote that “in response to yet another barrage of lies about Serbia coming from (Albin) Kurti’s sick mind, I want to emphasize the following: Unlike Albin Kurti, who is building an apartheid state in the heart of Europe, systematically persecuting Serbs just because of their nationality and brutally violating basic human rights, Serbia makes a clear distinction between citizens of Albanian ethnicity – with whom it seeks peace, coexistence, and cooperation – and Kurti’s political associates, who are responsible for violating domestic and international norms”. Djuric accused Kurti of using ethnic hatred as a political weapon and for endangering the entire region’s stability, adding that “Kurti belongs to the region’s dark past and will soon, politically, become part of it”.

Minister for European Integration Nemanja Starovic strongly condemned what he called a shameless tirade by Albin Kurti, accusing the acting Kosovo Prime Minister of using fabricated threats to justify daily repression of the Serbian population in Kosovo.

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic in his reaction said Kurti’s statements were a consequence of “his pathological hatred towards anything Serbian”. He said attempts to justify the arrest of Office for KIM Assistant Director Igor Popovic over his speech at the commemoration ceremony with the need to protect the rule of law “was the peak of Kurti’s madness”. “Many things Kurti said today, he only did not say who was responsible for the murder of 47 Serbs in the Orahovac area and kidnappings of a hundred of them. He dares not to mention that at the very moment proceedings for the KLA crimes against Serbian people are ongoing at the Hague Tribunal", Petkovic said, and once again demanded Popovic’s immediate release.

Former Serbian Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) Milos Vucevic in his strongly-worded reaction accused Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti of “genocidal policy”. “Albin Kurti, the false prime minister of a false state that is collapsing precisely because of him, continues to spread lies and carry out ethnic cleansing of Serbs through unlawful arrests, expulsions, and bans on commemorating and remembering Serbian victims”, Vucevic wrote in a post on Instagram. As he said “Kurti was directly responsible for a genocidal policy toward our compatriots, for inciting intolerance, and for continuously inflaming interethnic tensions. He tries to mask all of his fascist intentions with false accusations against the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, while unlawfully arresting and applying pressure on the Serbian community”, Vucevic added in the post.

Serbian prosecutors open case into Popovic’s arrest, call on police and intelligence to identify alleged perpetrators (KoSSev)

Three days after the arrest of Igor Popovic, Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Assistant Director and less than 24 hours after he was placed in pre-trial detention, the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade has issued a formal request to Serbian state institutions to investigate the circumstances of his arrest, KoSSev portal reported.

The prosecutor’s office has contacted Serbia’s Criminal Police Directorate and the Security and Intelligence Agency (BIA), requesting that they gather information on the individuals responsible for apprehending Popovic. The aim is to identify those who “on July 18, 2025, presenting themselves as so-called ‘Kosovo Police,’ arrested and transported to Pristina the Deputy Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Igor Popovic, following his public address in Orahovac during a memorial for Serbs killed by the so-called KLA”, the prosecution stated.

The requests were made “to determine whether the elements of the criminal offense of kidnapping under Article 134, Paragraph 3 in conjunction with Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code are present”, the statement added.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/5GUVn

Serbian PM condemns Igor Popovic’s arrest (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut condemned in the strongest terms on Monday the arrest of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Assistant Director Igor Popovic, by Kosovo police, Tanjug news agency reported.

"This is another in a series of brutal examples of violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms, above all, freedom of movement and freedom of expression. The arrest of a man just because he is speaking the truth and working in the interest of his people is a clear message that there is no place for dialogue and normalization in Pristina's policy," Macut said. According to a government statement, Macut requested Popovic's urgent and unconditional release and noted that his arrest was completely unfounded and politically motivated.

"Serbia will not give up on protecting its people in Kosovo and Metohija. We will continue to advocate peace, as well as justice and dignity of every one of our people. Igor Popovic's arrest is not just an attack on one man, but also on the values shared by all those who believe in dialogue, truth and freedom", Macut noted.

Serbian Democracy demands immediate release of Igor Popovic (Radio KIM)

Serbian Democracy requested on Monday an immediate release of Igor Popovic, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Assistant Director, sent to 30-day detention over remarks he made about KLA at a commemoration event dedicated to the Serbian victims in Orahovac, Radio KIM reported. The party expressed serious concern over, as they said, attempts to criminalize the speech about Serbian victims and violation of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and right to remembrance.

"Serbian victims did not abduct themselves alone, nor did they commit collective suicide - someone kidnapped and killed them, and the perpetrators have not yet been found", Serbian Democracy said, emphasizing that many crimes against Serbs have not yet received a judicial epilogue. The party warned that such acts of Kosovo authorities represent a serious precedent and send dangerous messages, which additionally erode trust in dialogue and inter-ethnic co-existence. They recalled that for years they have reacted to “illegal arrests” not only of Serbian officials but also numerous Serbs in Kosovo.

"First, we will mention (Albin) Kurti's statement in which he said that "Kosovo is Albania". Second, (acting Interior Minister) Svecla passes verdicts in advance, violating the presumption of innocence, calling the suspects and those arrested "terrorists" and "criminals". Third, Kurti talks about the superiority of the Albanian people over the Serbs, inciting hate speech and dehumanizing Serbs. Fourth, numerous public figures, such as Selim Pacolli, threaten ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Kosovo", the party added.

Serbian Democracy concludes that, “if the repression continues, it will expect strong and concrete action from the Republic of Serbia", which, as they say, has an obligation to protect its people, not only officials.

UNMIK on Popovic’s arrest and detention (Kosovo Online)

UNMIK is concerned about the arrest of Igor Popovic and calls for all related procedures to be carried out swiftly and in accordance with human rights standards and the rule of law, reads the replay of the UN Mission to Kosovo Online portal’s media inquiry related to the arrest and detention of Office for KiM Assistant Director Igor Popovic.

It further emphasized that "Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK, Caroline Ziadeh, has repeatedly called for restraint and for the parties to remain constructively engaged in the EU-facilitated dialogue".

"UNMIK continues to closely monitor the situation", it was also said.

UK, Italian embassies on Popovic’s arrest and detention (Kosovo Online)

Responding to Kosovo Online media inquiry relating to the arrest and detention of Office for KiM Assistant Director, Igor Popovic, British Embassy in Pristina said it expects the case to be handled with full respect for the rule of law and without politicization. “The British Embassy in Pristina is closely monitoring the case and expects it to be handled with full respect for the rule of law and without politicization”, the British Embassy told Kosovo Online.

Responding to the portal’s media inquiry on the same issue, the Italian Embassy in Pristina said it carefully monitors the case and expects full respect for the rule of law. “The Italian Embassy is closely monitoring the case and expects full respect for the rule of law and legal procedures", the Italian Embassy said in its reply.

MFRR says EC report insufficient response to deteriorating media freedom (N1)

Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) said that the European Commission’s latest Rule of Law report is an insufficient response to deteriorating media freedom and called on the EU to act in defense of media freedom and independent journalism.

“We welcome the findings that reveal a worrying decline in media conditions across Europe, with journalists experiencing rising physical violence, online harassment, and politically motivated smear campaigns. The economic vulnerability of the media sector, combined with the dominance of a few digital platforms and concentrated ownership structures, further increases the risk of political interference.

It said that EU member states are aligning their legislation with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) but many will fall short to respect the implementation deadline in August.