One year after murder of leader of Civic Initiative, Freedom, Democracy, Justice (GI SDP) Oliver Ivanovic, his associates, family, and the public, are still denied the information regarding the investigation, and are without an answer to the question of who the perpetrators and those who ordered the killing are.
Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs, Nebojsa Stefanovic said Serbs in Kosovo do not trust Pristina institutions, adding that Pristina’s police and army cannot replace KFOR and EULEX, Tanjug news agency reports.
According to him, Pristina by establishing the so-called army wanted to show that Kosovo no longer needs international presence.
“It is unacceptable because Serbs do not trust these structures. Without KFOR there, we would enter a crisis situation,” Stefanovic told TV Pink.
Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs, Nebojsa Stefanovic said that due to “bad treatment” by EULEX, respectively the EU, the case of Oliver Ivanovic’s murder has not been resolved yet, BETA news agency reported.
“I do not expect much from Pristina institutions, but I expect from EULEX not to treat this case with negligence, because we do not have this case solved due to bad treatment by the EU.”
He also asked where is EULEX in the investigation of Oliver Ivanovic’s murder, where are the people from the EU, where is special police, Serbian media reported.
The European Union has wrapped up three investigations into a British judge and the chairman of the EULEX judicial council from 2014 to 2018, Malcolm Simmons, but will not make public the conclusions of the probes, KoSSev portal reports.
The EU spokesperson confirmed yesterday that the disciplinary board had finalized three investigations into Simmons, Beta reported, citing the Associated Press. They would not comment on the board’s conclusions or detail the allegations. The spokesperson refused to be identified, citing the sensitivity of the investigations.
Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said there were “lots of speculation and spinning in the public” about the murder of Civic Initiative Freedom, Democracy, Justice leader Oliver Ivanovic, but that Serbia remains committed to finding his killers and those who have ordered it. This is important for the security of citizens in Kosovo and Metohija, but also for the general security of Serbia, BETA news agency reported today.
Specialist Prosecutor Jack Smith on Tuesday signed a solemn declaration, swearing to exercise his functions independently, impartially and conscientiously, the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release.
Smith was selected for the position in May 2018 under procedures organised by the European Union and appointed by EULEX Head of Mission, Alexandra Papadopoulou, it added.
OSCE's media freedom representative has told the EFJ he began consultations with the president of the Serbian Commission Investigating Murders of Journalists.
The commission is headed by Veran Matic.
OSCE's Harlem Desir said that the consultations began on how to reopen investigations into the killings and disappearances of 14 journalists and media workers in Kosovo and Metohija, the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) announced on Wednesday.
The EULEX mission said on its Facebook page on Wednesday that it had organized a meeting of the Kosovo and Serbia police to discuss the investigation into the killing of Kosovo Serb political leader Oliver Ivanovic.
The KoSSev portal said that the Facebook post was put up a day after the meeting without providing details of the meeting or its venue.
While EULEX is leaving unresolved cases, expenditures higher than a billion of euros, and disappointing statistics, UN Mission, although reduced several times, remains the main international political factor in Kosovo, Belgrade-based Politika daily wrote on Sunday.
Serbian Assembly Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, Chair Milovan Drecun said Kosovo institutions still do not prosecute crimes against Serbs, Tanjug news agency reported.
Drecun added they protected neither Serb population nor their properties. He made these remarks commenting on a statement of EULEX head Alexandra Papadopoulos, who said, “that after 10 years the biggest success of the Mission is its departure from Kosovo,” and that Kosovo on its own can implement the laws and justice.