Non-governmental organization Human Centre Mitrovica in the strongest terms condemned the excessive use of force against citizens in the northern municipalities by Kosovo police ROSU unit, Radio kontakt plus reported.
Serb S.I. (1970) from the village of Prekovce, Novo Brdo municipality was beaten up last night around 19.30 while entering the village, RTV Puls reports.
According to RTV Puls he was assaulted by the two Albanians from the nearby village of Mandalak, and one of them is at large.
“The police have identified the attackers and the search for them is ongoing,” Gnjilane regional police spokesperson Ismet Hashani told RTV Puls.
All six Serbs detained by Kosovo police special forces on Tuesday in Zubin Potok have been were released Radio Kontakt Plus reported.
According to this, they were set free after the judge of the Basic Court in Mitrovica North, the Zubin Potok department, Ljiljana Stevanovic, refused the request of the Kosovo Prosecutor's Office to order custody. Radio Kontakt Plus said that the judge assessed that there was insufficient evidence from the prosecution to extend the detention of the Serbs, which were otherwise accused of interfering with an on duty official.
Pristina did not make the decision to move into action in the north of Kosovo on its own, Milovan Drecun and Nebojsa Covic opined, B92 writes referring to Sputnik portal report.
Chairperson of the Serbian National Assembly Committee for Kosovo, Drecun and former head of the Coordination Centre for Kosovo and Metohija, Covic expect similar incidents would happen again.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today to journalists, after visiting the military gymnasium in Belgrade, that the ultimate goal of Pristina is the arrest of Kosovo police commander for northern Kosovo Zeljko Bojic, Serbian media reported.
KFOR spokesman Vincenzo Grasso says that yesterday's action of the Kosovo special police units was regular, and that in fact the biggest threat to peace are politicians and the media.
Asked about the situation in Kosovo this morning, Grasso says it is under control.
"Yesterday there was little tension, but luckily it was in isolated locations and it was completed during the day, so I have to say that it is peaceful," he said, during the inclusion in the morning program of Belgrade based TV Prva.
Kosovo police special forces made mistake during Tuesday's raid in northern Kosovo, when they arrested 19 Serbs, Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti writes.
The daily said that during the operation, that resulted in the battering of about 100 persons, several commanders of the said units lost confidential documents listing the raid's operative details, along with the names and last names of police officers involved, and their phone numbers.
"As the Bishop of Raška-Prizren, with our clergy, monastics, and faithful people, with great concern we condemn yesterday's excessive use of force by the Kosovo Police in the north of Kosovo and Metohija," Eparchy said in statement issued yesterday.
"Regardless of the real motives of this action, beatings, breaking of furniture, incursions into houses where civilians, women and children were intimidated with unhiden brutality, demonstrate that Pristina's intent was primarily to intimidate our population and demonstrate force.
Serb representatives from the north and Office for Kosovo and Metohija, in a special TV Most broadcast last night, said the latest brutal Pristina’s action will not expel the Serbs from Kosovo, B92 reports.
Mayor of Mitrovica North Goran Rakic said that “in addition to the terror conducted by the Albanians, shooting in the back by some Serbian opposition leaders is painful.” He added Pristina’s response to any call for peace from Belgrade is “a brutal action and terror against barehanded population.”
Opposition Alliance for Serbia (SzS) said the latest events in Kosovo and Metohija are the result of President Aleksandar Vucic failed policy, adding it in many aspects resemble a joint direction of Haradinaj and Vucic that would bring good neither to Serbian nor Albanian people, Danas daily reports.
“While “his businessmen” applaud him loudly from the balcony of Republic of Serbia National Assembly, in the north of Kosovo Vucic and his coalition partners Ramush Haradinaj and Hashim Thaci push Kosovo police against the Serbian people,” SzS said in a press statement.