A member of the assembly in the Serb-run half of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo was shot dead shortly after midnight on Thursday.
Dimitrije Janicijevic, member of the municipal assembly in Mitrovica, was gunned down by an unknown person in front of his home in northern Mitrovica after he got out of his car.
The 35-year-old’s body has been transferred to Pristina for a post-mortem.
The motives for the murder are unknown. Police have blocked off this part of the town.
Janicijevic was a candidate in the mayoral elections last year in northern Mitrovica for the Independent Liberal Party, SLS, which is a minority partner in Kosovo’s coalition government.
Beta news agency reported that he had been the target of attacks several times, including incidents when explosive devices were placed under his car.
Janicijevic owned a store and was a father of three.
Tensions have been running high in Mitrovica since the newly elected mayor, Krstimir Pantic, refused to take the oath of office on Saturday.
In the run-up to the local elections in November, there were several incidents in Mitrovica in which candidates from various tickets were the targets of violent attacks.
The Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo strongly condemned the murder and urged the EU mission in Kosovo, EULEX, to solve the case immediately.
“Identification of criminals is an imperative so that citizens in Kosovska Mitrovica and the entire province can feel safe and secure,” the office stated.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/north-kosovo-official-shot-dead
