While traveling to Presheva to offer condolences to Mayor Ardita Sinani following the death of her father, the head of the Vetëvendosje parliamentary group, Arbërie Nagavci, MPs Fatmire Kollçaku and Liza Gashi, and political adviser Ragmi Mustafi were stopped by Serbian border authorities.
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According to Nagavci, they were held waiting for more than two hours without receiving any explanation, and were then prevented from continuing their journey.
Presheva-based analyst Nehat Hyseni described the blocking of the Vetëvendosje delegation, which was traveling to offer condolences to the mayor of the Municipality of Presheva, as unacceptable.
Hyseni stressed that the incident carries political weight and that an act of condolence should not be mixed with political calculations or interstate tensions.
In a statement, he specified that the delegation was held for more than two hours at the Depca border crossing on October 9, 2026, without being given any clear reason, and was subsequently informed that it was not allowed to continue its journey to Presheva.
As a result, the condolences were offered near the border, where Ardita Sinani went with her family members to meet the delegation. The case was covered by both Kosovo and Serbian media.
“It is truly serious when state authorities are unable to show even the minimum respect for a simple human act, such as offering condolences to a family struck by death,” Hyseni said, adding that in a society seeking normal relations with its neighbors, family grief should be kept outside political games and state rivalries.
He called the action of the Serbian border police shameful and unjustifiable, saying the decision had been taken without a clear legal basis or convincing justification.
According to him, border control cannot be turned into an instrument of political pressure. Every state has the right and obligation to enforce the law, but that does not constitute permission for arbitrariness.
Decisions restricting freedom of movement, he continued, must be based on legal grounds, be explainable, and be open to appeal through the relevant procedures.
When a delegation is held for hours and turned back without any convincing reason, he stressed, the question arises as to whether the law is being applied impartially or whether administrative power is being used to send political messages.
Hyseni further noted that the incident should be viewed within the context of tense relations between Kosovo and Serbia, and called on the Serbian authorities to explain the legal basis and procedures for the detention.
Obstacles to movement, he added, make life more difficult for Albanians in Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja, reinforcing mistrust and a sense of discrimination.
According to Hyseni, under Aleksandar Vučić’s government, relations with Kosovo have been dominated by mistrust, political clashes and contradictory interpretations of the normalization processes. The Depca incident should be investigated in this context, without hastily declaring political motives to be a proven fact, but also without excluding them from the analysis.
When representatives of Kosovo’s institutions are stopped during a family and humanitarian visit and no clear public explanation is given, suspicion of selective treatment becomes unavoidable, he argued, especially when the people involved are MPs of an elected parliament and a political adviser to the prime minister.
He called on Serbia to provide concrete answers: What was the legal basis for the detention, who made the decision, and what procedures were followed? Institutional silence, he said, deepens mistrust and creates the impression that decisions at the border depend on the political assessments of the moment.
Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja are not merely names on Serbia’s administrative map, Hyseni continued, but areas with Albanian populations that have strong family, cultural, educational and national ties to Kosovo. Therefore, every arbitrary detention harms daily life and fuels insecurity and discrimination.
Hyseni stressed that Serbia must guarantee freedom of movement and demonstrate through institutional action that it respects the rule of law, because normalization with Kosovo is achieved not only through agreements but also through the treatment of citizens and respect for their rights.
For the Albanians of the Presheva Valley, the issue is not only the detention of the three MPs. It is also connected to concerns over whether normal human and institutional relations with Kosovo can develop without every contact being turned into a political issue.
This is precisely where the Serbian government’s responsibility lies, he said: it must show that border controls are not used to punish, intimidate or obstruct people because of their institutional and political ties. If Serbia seeks European integration, it must prove that the rule of law is a real standard, not merely diplomatic wording.
According to him, normalization between Kosovo and Serbia cannot be secured solely through EU-mediated meetings, joint statements and documents signed at negotiating tables. It is demonstrated in everyday life, through freedom of movement, interinstitutional communication, the treatment of citizens and respect for obligations.
“Political trust cannot be demanded while institutions are producing mistrust, nor can good-neighborly relations be discussed when condolence visits can be blocked by unexplained decisions,” Hyseni said.
In conclusion, the analyst warned that the incident risks deepening mistrust between the two countries and called for institutional clarification, transparency and guarantees that such cases will not be repeated.
According to him, the incident could have several consequences. First, it weakens trust between political representatives. Second, it makes the work of institutions maintaining channels of communication more difficult. Third, it gives arguments to those who suspect that the normalization process is moving forward without real changes in the authorities’ conduct.
However, he stressed that the most serious consequences fall on ordinary citizens, who should not be held hostage to tense government relations. Families on both sides of the border need predictable movement, legal certainty and human respect, none of which are political privileges but basic requirements of normal life.
For this reason, Hyseni called for responsibility to move beyond an exchange of harsh statements and toward institutional clarification, full documentation of the case and guarantees that similar actions will not be repeated.
He added that Serbian public opinion should also view the issue beyond partisan and nationalist divisions, because criticism of the actions of the border police is not an attack on Serbian citizens. The demand for legality, transparency and equal treatment is in the interest of every citizen who wants accountable institutions, he concluded.
