Avni Islami: There are no ethnic motives in the Ujman and northern Kosovo operation

Avni Islami, a security affairs expert, has emphasized that the state operation for demolishing illegal structures in Kosovo is based on the principles of the rule of law and the equality of all citizens before the law.

Islami pointed out that this operation is being carried out throughout the entire territory of the country, including the northern municipality of Mitrovica, while attention has recently been focused on the zone around Lake Ujman, an area where numerous violations of construction laws have been found.

According to him, attempts to label this intervention as a politically charged action are unfounded, as the measures taken are fully supported by legislation and not by the ethnic affiliation of those affected.

In a detailed post, Islami wrote that “respect for the law and equal treatment of citizens, without any ethnic distinction, are the fundamental pillars of the state action for the demolition of unpermitted constructions in Kosovo.”

He added that “this operation, which has already affected areas such as Rugova, Brezovica, and Batllava, is extending nationwide, including the north of Mitrovica.”

Islami stressed that “the focus of the latest interventions has been around Lake Ujman, where many cases of illegality have been documented, some of them linked to high-ranking political figures of the Serb community.”

In closing, he underlined that “although the official media in Belgrade have attempted to present this operation as a politically motivated move, this stance collides with the reality on the ground. The fact that the action has a strong legal basis renders any propaganda effort invalid and leaves these claims without any legal or factual argument.”