One hundred and fifty former members of the Serbian MUP (Ministry of Internal Affairs) in Kosovo who want solution to their judicial working status in accordance to the Serbian laws, protested today in front of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo in Mitrovica North. Their basic request is to reach a decision based on Serbia’s Constitution and Laws for pensioning the MUP members in Kosovo, and return to their duties for those who refuse early retirement. They threatened Serbia’s state leaders with a hunger strike if their demands are not fulfilled.

One of their representatives, Slavisa Kocic, told the media that they have informed Serbia’s President, Prime Minister, the Director for Kosovo as well as the director of the Council for Kosovo about their demands. He also informed that some of the representatives of this strike will meet today at 17:00 hours with Serbia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Nebojsa Stefanovic, the Director of the Office for Kosovo, Marko Djuric and chief of the cabinet of the Prime Minister, Ivica Kojic. According to him, the protesters will stand there until the return of their representatives from Belgrade and the decision whether to continue with the protest or to interrupt it will be made based on epilogue of these discussions.

Around 1200 police officers and other MUP employees in Kosovo, 160 of them from Mitrovica North, were forced to retire in 2013, after the 19 April agreement between Pristina and Belgrade was signed in Brussels.