by Nemanja B. for the Saker blog

Kosovo Government takes harsh action after months of threats to numerous political members of Serbian governmental body named Office for Kosovo.

Today on 26th of March at 17:50 in Kosovska Mitrovica Serbs were doing their 15th meeting of the round table to discuss current situation regarding their southern province. Special police forces named ROSU who are controlled by Albanian politicians in this disputed territory interrupted this inner dialog using force and brutality which is according to statement of Kosovo President Hashim Thaci legal and professional way to handle situation. Armed with AK-47s they proceeded to use shock bombs and push their way into the meeting room where they injured multiple people and arrested the president of before mentioned body – Marko Djuric (links to video material are below). The situation is currently very heated and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic contacted Vladimir Putin about the incident while government also contacted American embassy. European Unions main official for Prishtina-Belgrade relations Federica Mogherini called for peace and stated that she feels sad about the events that took place in northern Kosovo town earlier today. Although official governments still haven’t spoken together trying to solve the issue many people from both sides gave their statements and live shows are currently being run all around Southeastern Europe discussing this as a topic. And while politicians all around Europe are picking sides Serbian government is holding an urgent meeting trying to find best solution in this situation. Nikola Selakovic, Secretary-General to the president of Serbia, who was standing right next to arrested M. Djuric claims that Nenad Rikalo, Zeljko Jovic, Zoran Todic, Ivan Milivojevic and Nebojsa Milovanovic all suffered serious injuries during the violent intervention of ROSU members. He also announced that some members on the meeting showed the police their documents indicating that they are valid members of legitimate government that functions on this territory, but were brutally kicked and pushed regardless, there were women among those attacked and hit as well. Also RTS (Radio Television of Serbia) said that a camera crew was attacked as well and was taken in hospital to receive medical help, this report along with few other statements from daily news in the country pushed PROUNS (Serbian journalists society) to ask for violence against media workers to be stopped. To put this whole thing into more context the hate towards this group of Serbian politicians stretches way back to it’s creation and somewhere along the road of numerous incidents and provocations between the two governments Kosovo officials banned Marko Djuric from entering a part of his own country, This is what they claim gave them the right to carry out the arrest. Another attack of terror carried out by Thaci and his bodyuards isn’t a surprise since they a long running tradition of harassing civilians, but one feels sympathy for people of Kosovo who still have guts to say they are Serbian and who are now in complete fear. According to the leatest info M. Djuric was brought into main police station Prishtina where he was surrounded by 100 masked officers, afterwards probably due to huge amount of international pressure he was released and is now on his way to Central Serbia and most probably Belgrade. Many reactions and reports are still flying in every second and it’s now up to western based media to alert it’s citizens about new Kosovo Crisis, let’s just hope this one doesn’t end like the ones before.

Nemanja B.

Links to articles:

http://rs.n1info.com/a374729/Vesti/Uhapsen-Marko-Djuric-u-Kosovskoj-Mitrovici.html

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/the-latest-serbia-president-calls-kosovo-terrorist-state/ar-BBKITBf

http://www.rtv-vranje.rs/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=17968:prouns-osudio-napade-na-novinare-na-kim&Itemid=239

http://www.alo.rs/svedoci-drame-na-kosovu-tukli-su-nas-sve-redom/154678

Links to videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go-AyMT7s4g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66pG9r7q8G8