Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Sveçla has described as unacceptable the statements made by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić regarding the case of Nenad Rashković.
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According to Sveçla, the president of Serbia is attempting to exploit the issue to divert attention from recent developments in northern Kosovo, where three mass graves have been discovered and a considerable quantity of weapons has been seized.
“President Vučić’s behavior is absolutely unacceptable. He is attempting to use an allegation to minimize the role of the Serbian state in the last war in Kosovo and to shift attention away from the shocking discoveries,” Sveçla said.
He called on Serbia to cooperate in uncovering war crimes and to open its state archives to document the events that took place in Kosovo.
“Instead of Aleksandar Vučić offering cooperation and opening Serbia’s archives on the crimes committed during the war in Kosovo, he is attempting, through his rhetoric, to divert attention from the substance of the issue,” the minister said.
Regarding the case of Nenad Rashković, Sveçla announced that the Kosovo Police Inspectorate had launched an investigation following a complaint it received.
As a result of the investigation, two police officers have so far been suspended, following a recommendation by the Kosovo Police Inspectorate.
“Immediately after we were informed about the complaint, the Kosovo Police Inspectorate engaged in investigating the case. It has now been announced that the Inspectorate recommended the suspensions, while police superiors implemented them against the two police officers,” Sveçla said.
The minister stressed that the investigative procedures are still ongoing. Once they are completed, the institutions will inform the public about the findings and possible measures against the officials involved.
Sveçla said that Kosovo’s institutions would continue to address both issues. In conclusion, he called on Vučić not to make statements that, in his view, divert attention from uncovering war crimes.
“Vučić must understand that he cannot be the one complaining about this issue. It is time for him to act so that the wounds of the many families of people who were forcibly disappeared can begin to heal,” Sveçla concluded.
A lawyer, Blerim Burjani, also responded to the minister’s statements. He said that Serbia would find it difficult to hide behind other issues in order to evade responsibility.
Burjani believes that the arrival of weapons in the north could not have occurred without Serbia’s knowledge and that attention cannot be diverted from the discovery of the mass graves either.
“The situation is clear. Serbia cannot hide behind other issues. The entry of all these weapons could not have happened without its knowledge, while there is no other party that could have supplied the north with weapons. Likewise, the issue of the mass graves cannot be covered up by shifting attention elsewhere. Serbia knows what it has done in Kosovo, both in the north and during the war,” Burjani said.
The lawyer stressed that Serbia has so far refused to accept responsibility and that Kosovo also has a role in creating the conditions to force it to confront its past.
According to Burjani, a lawsuit for war crimes and greater pressure from the international community are needed. He said that without these steps, Serbia would not acknowledge the genocide, as such an acknowledgment would oblige it to pay reparations and damages and compensate the victims.
“Serbia has not assumed responsibility so far, and this is also connected to Kosovo’s actions. Without a lawsuit for war crimes and strong international pressure, it will not acknowledge the genocide. Five years ago, it would have been easier to subject Serbia to pressure, whereas today the possibilities are more limited, as the world’s attention is focused on new conflicts, efforts to end wars in the East, and the Russia-Ukraine war,” he added.
Burjani called on Kosovo to prepare a lawsuit, stressing that many facts and materials documenting Serbian crimes in Kosovo have been collected.
He explained that, because Kosovo is not part of the Council of Europe, it cannot file such a lawsuit itself. According to him, another member state could undertake the initiative, and he mentioned Albania as one possibility.
“Kosovo may present as many arguments as it wishes, but without drafting a lawsuit it cannot do much. The lawsuit must be prepared, since there are numerous facts and materials concerning Serbian crimes in Kosovo. Since Kosovo is not part of the Council of Europe, it cannot do this itself, but another member state can take this step. Albania, for example, could initiate such an effort,” Burjani concluded.
