The deputy director of the Kosovo Police is detained in Serbia

2024-04-17 18:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The deputy director of the Kosovo Police of Serbian nationality, Dejan Jankovic, was detained by the Serbian authorities on Wednesday, Jeton Zulfaj, the advisor to the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, announced on social networks.

According to information within Kosovo's security institutions, Jankovic - who comes from the municipality of Shtërpce - was detained at the border point with Serbia, Jarinje, in the north of Kosovo, and was sent for an interview in the southwestern city of Serbia, Raskë.

Radio Free Europe has addressed the Ministry of the Interior of Serbia on this issue, but has not received a response.

Zulfaj also said that the Serbian authorities have started "massive arrests" after the vote in favor of Kosovo in the Parliamentary Assembly for membership in the Council of Europe and that they are holding "everyone hostage". Jankovic's ban comes on the same day that Kosovo's Foreign Ministry said early Wednesday that Serbia has stopped buses carrying passengers from Kosovo at the borders with Croatia and Hungary as "a sign of retaliation against the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's support for membership." of Kosovo in this organization".

However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia has denied as "baseless" the accusations of the Kosovar authorities that it has stopped buses with Kosovar travelers at its borders.

"The control of all passengers at the border points is being strengthened and security checks are being carried out, all this with the aim of greater safety and security of citizens, which may cause a longer stay at the border point itself," he said. Serbian ministry.

The REL team, which was at the border point of Serbia with Croatia, Batrovci, was not allowed to film, on the grounds that it did not have permission to do so. REL's request, which was sent a few hours before arrival at the crossing, has not yet been answered. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo (MPJK) has stated that regarding the issue of the detention of citizens of Kosovo in Serbia, it has addressed the QUINT countries - the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany, the institutions of the European Union and other international organizations.

They expressed the expectation that the situation "will end soon".

The MPJK said that the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, had already warned about "these retaliatory actions".

Vucic warned on April 14 that anyone who violates the constitutional order of the Republic of Serbia "will be arrested and prosecuted".

He gave this warning while talking about the arrest of Sreqko Sofronijevic from Zveçan, a municipality in the north of Kosovo, inhabited by a majority of Serbs, on April 13.

Kosovo police said on April 13 that they detained Sofronijevic at the border point with Serbia, Bërnjak, for participating in the 2021 protests, organized due to the implementation of an action against smuggling of goods.

Vu?i? also said that now "all those who violate" the constitutional order of Serbia, anyone who participates in it in any way, through protests, demonstrations or other means, will be held responsible./ Rel