Aleksandar Jakšić from Zubin Potok and Branimir Mihajlović, originally from Vushtrri and currently living in North Mitrovica, say they lost the buildings near Ujman Lake in which they had invested for years within just a few hours. Both are convinced that the properties belonged to them.
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They say they carried out the construction based on documentation they hold within Serbia’s legal system. Kosovo’s institutions, meanwhile, regard the buildings as unauthorized structures on land managed by the publicly owned company Ibër-Lepenc.
Following the demolitions, Jakšić and Mihajlović also sought justice through Kosovo’s institutions. According to them, they were not told on what legal basis the removal of the buildings had begun. They also say there was no court ruling, even though they had already initiated proceedings to establish ownership.
For Jakšić, the demolition of the Jezero Hotel at Ujman represents far more than the loss of a building. He says that, in just a few hours, what his family had built over nearly 20 years was destroyed.
In a statement to Radio Free Europe, he said that he, his sister and other family members had given up many things to build the hotel. According to him, the family had invested everything there, while his parents had put all their savings and effort into the property.
Criticism from the international community
The demolition of buildings near Ujman Lake prompted critical reactions from the international community, which called on the Kosovo authorities to halt the operation immediately. The main criticism concerned the fact that the owners had initiated court proceedings after being notified to vacate the properties. For this reason, it was argued that the conclusion of the court proceedings should have been awaited.
Faruk Mujka, director of the Ibër-Lepenc company, has presented a different position. He said the institution he heads is legally obligated to protect the property under its administration. According to Mujka, the information gathered indicates that most of the buildings were constructed during 2019 and 2020.
He argued that these buildings could not be legalized under the Law on the Treatment of Unauthorized Construction because the law had entered into force in September 2018.
The owners dispute this version, insisting that their buildings were erected nearly 20 years ago and, consequently, before the law entered into force.
A third loss for Branimir Mihajlović
Branimir Mihajlović describes the demolition as the third time he has been left without everything he had built over the years.
He was born in Vushtrri but left after the 1999 war. He then settled in the village of Frashër, near Mitrovica, where his family home was located. According to him, that house was burned down during the unrest of March 2004.
Mihajlović currently lives in an apartment provided for his use by the Municipality of North Mitrovica. For this reason, the holiday home near Ujman held value for him that went beyond its function as a place to relax.
He says he had gradually invested in it for 19 years, even cutting back on food to complete the construction.
Dispute over land ownership
Aleksandar Jakšić insists that the plot on which the Jezero Hotel stood belongs to his family and that the building was erected in the early 2000s.
He claims that documents proving ownership exist within the Serbian legal system. Based on them, Jakšić has initiated a court dispute before Kosovo’s institutions, with the first hearing scheduled for August 12.
According to him, he learned only in recent days that the Kosovo authorities had changed the designated use of the land on which the hotel stood as early as 2018. Jakšić says this change now prevents him from obtaining the relevant documents within Kosovo’s system.
He disputes the claim that his family had usurped the property, asking why the authorities had not acted throughout all those years. Jakšić says they would not have begun construction if the land had not belonged to them and if they had not possessed documentation.
According to him, the family was never notified of the change in the plot’s designated use. They claim they learned of the decision only after they began receiving demolition orders for buildings around the lake.
Branimir Mihajlović, on the other hand, says he was granted the right to use the land for 99 years in 2006 by the Serbian public company Srbijašume, officially the Serbian Public Enterprise for State Forest Management. He says he regularly paid rent to the company.
During 2024, when Kosovo began closing institutions operating within Serbia’s system on the grounds that they were parallel and illegal structures, Mihajlović attempted to regularize the property’s status within Kosovo’s legal system.
Last year, he submitted an application to legalize the building. According to Mihajlović, he was prepared to pay rent to Kosovo’s institutions in the future.
Despite this, the holiday home was demolished on July 21. Meanwhile, he also received a fine of 2,000 euros for unauthorized construction.
Mihajlović wants to know why Kosovo’s institutions chose to begin their operation against unauthorized buildings specifically in the north of the country, an area where Serbs make up the majority of the population.
Following international reactions to the demolitions at Ujman, the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure said the operation was part of a broader plan to protect water resources. The ministry warned that the removal of unauthorized buildings would continue throughout Kosovo.
Acting Minister Fitore Pacolli announced that 17 buildings have so far been removed from the area near Ujman Lake.
What does the law stipulate on demolition?
Property law expert Korab Dibra previously explained to Radio Free Europe that Article 23 of the Law on Public Property clearly establishes that public property cannot be acquired through long-term possession or by constructing a building in violation of the rules governing construction rights.
According to Dibra, this provision excludes the acquisition of ownership over public property when construction was carried out without a permit, even if an application for legalization has been submitted.
He added that the law grants Ibër-Lepenc both the right and the obligation to protect the property it manages from any unauthorized interference by third parties.
However, Dibra emphasized that the responsible authority cannot enforce a demolition order while an appeal or legalization application remains under review.
He also clarified that the law does not give Ibër-Lepenc, or any other publicly owned company, the authority to demolish buildings itself. According to him, that responsibility lies with the relevant institutions: the municipality for first- and second-category buildings, and the relevant ministry for third-category buildings.
Because houses and villas are classified as first-category buildings, Dibra says only the municipality can issue building permits and make decisions on their demolition.
Zubin Potok Mayor Miloš Perović previously said that the municipal authorities had not approved the demolition of houses and holiday homes at Ujman. He called for the issue to be resolved through compromise.
Although he acknowledges that he has little hope for the outcome of the court proceedings to establish ownership, Aleksandar Jakšić says he will continue the fight. He says the building will be rebuilt, even more beautiful and better than before.
Branimir Mihajlović expresses the same determination. He says he has no intention of leaving Kosovo. / RFE
